On The Tides Of Fate
by Strings805
Summary: A year after Ultimecia's defeat, Rinoa's powers have begun to grow out of control. While the group does everything they can to help her, a startling truth behind their victory comes to light, and remnants of the late Sorceress's reign emerge from the shadows. As more revelations about the past are revealed, is it only a matter of time before history repeats itself? Hyne only knows…
1. As All Decays, The Lilies Bloom Still

Dust and ash whisked through the air around him as he came to yet another city reduced to ruin.

 _Why do I keep hoping I'll find anybody here?_

The earth had been reduced to a charred husk centuries ago, and he'd had a hand in its destruction. Remnants of towns and cities past didn't make him feel any kind of guilt, though. The destruction of material things was hardly anything to mourn. The skeletal remains that hadn't been eroded beyond recognition were swept up by the winds, leaving no trace of the people his Queen had purged her realm of with her immeasurable power.

Still, the same yearning for human contact that had made him build Junction Machine Ellone for the Sorceress pulled at his heart. He knew nothing remained beneath her castle in the sky, and yet, he aimlessly wandered through the wastes, hoping to happen upon someone; anyone.

 _They'd hate me. They'd know I served her._

He'd fought by her side since the beginning. It was his face that many had seen in their last moments, as Ultimecia could kill from a distance; the wanderer bore a heavy broadsword with a crystalline orange blade. When he sought someone out, few would try to buy time for others and fight him, but in the end, he would eliminate _everyone_.

Without any indicators as to which continent he'd drifted to, the only thing he could be sure of was that he'd given his pursuers the slip—for now. It wasn't long until he realized that where he had been was, in fact, not a city at all, but ruins of a monument that once stood tall in the heart of…

 _Centra…I'm in Centra._

Odin's safe haven had always been a decrepit structure in the middle of the Centran continent. It appeared that in her campaign against humanity, Ultimecia hadn't bothered to destroy this place, seeing as no one lived there anymore. The GF had vowed to serve a group of warriors who had bested him in battle. Odin had unknowingly sealed his fate with that decision. When those warriors attempted to fight Ultimecia, it was as he charged into battle that Odin was eviscerated by Apocalypse; or as the Sorceress would pronounce it, "Apokalypse."

 _If I'm in Centra, then that means…the lighthouse…_

Ultimecia's dissenter was eastbound, running to the _only_ place he could remember from so many hundreds of years ago. He had defected from her servitude shortly after the young people she was watching had tried to visit this place, and the images that were projected through Junction Machine Ellone flashed vividly in his mind.

 _The lily field…_

The young people—SeeDs of generations past—had grown up there. Even the rather brash member of their group that she'd made her "Knight" spent the early days of his childhood there. The sight of the lily field, however, held significance to the apostate that none of those children shared. He arrived sooner than he'd anticipated, and to his astonishment, despite sitting under blackened skies, the lilies had remained intact through the countless battles fought over them. He knew blood had been shed here; the Cape of Good Hope had served as a battlefield in the beginning of the war. Yet, there he stood, looking upon the shores and the tattered buildings that were built around them as though they'd been preserved all this time.

Sure, the waters that ebbed and flowed on the shoreline were polluted beyond comprehension; the oceans had turned black even before the sky did. But, there he stood on the ruined cobblestone that made up the perimeter of the orphanage. In that moment, everything was as it should've always been. Calm; free; at peace.

 _But, I remember when she erected the castle in the sky, the chains that suspend it tore through this place._

 _Something isn't right…am I losing my mind?_

Just then, the man was flung forward into the noxious waters by an incredible force. When he surfaced, he spit profusely and rushed to the shore; filth that had slipped into his mouth and his pores threatened to burn everything they touched.

 _Esuna should do the trick…_

Blue and white energy formed around his midsection, removing virtually any and all poisons that may have infiltrated his body. He didn't have a chance to marvel at his quick recovery; before him stood three massive pillars that rose as high as Ultimecia's castle sat atop the heavens. He craned his neck to see where they led, but they were too far into the dark clouds for him to make anything out.

It was nothing compared to what followed. The orphanage, the lighthouse, and even the lily field began to warp and alter in shape and appearance at a rapid pace. The sands before him became littered with bodies that would alternate between SeeDs from various Gardens throughout the early parts of the war.

SeeDs that _he'd_ killed.

 _What is this?!_

The Cape of Good Hope became ensnared in strange multicolored sinewy-like vines. The giant chain that he had remembered tearing through the area emerged thunderously from under the ground, and threw him back towards the toxic ocean. Thinking on his feet, he quickly cast Float, and stopped just short of being submerged in the waste once again. When he floated upright, a light came from where the orphanage now sat in the sky.

 _Light? Here? What's happening?_

 _Why did everything look so different when I arrived? And the changes…they came so fast._

 _The SeeDs; countless battles fought, all lost._

 _Their numbers thinned and faded with time…_

 _Time…_

The man floated back over to the shore, now with a deep schism running through it. The sinewy vines that had wrapped themselves around the orphanage had been forged by powerful magic.

 _Sorcery…_

They led all the way to the top of the chain beside him. Amidst its huge links rubbing against each other, he heard six sets of footsteps traverse the raised ground onto the chain towards Ultimecia's castle.

 _People?_

Within seconds, the man raced over and scaled one of the three pillars that rose into the sky. The columns smooth; he clawed his fingers into the stone, as he had nothing to grab onto.

When he reached the top, he pulled himself up on to a flat surface with a doorway in the center. He walked in front of it and looked through; there lied the past, the present, and the future. They were all struggling to coexist in a now thinly stretched measure of time.

 _Impossible...time compression? She succeeded?!_

Before his worst fears could consume him, in his periphery he saw six young men and women. They stood together bracing themselves, and supporting each other for a fight like no other. Just from the back of their heads, he recognized them immediately.

 _They…_ they _came here?_

 _From the past? How?_

 _Wait, that girl, the one we were pursuing…Ellone._

 _Is she safe? Is she ok?_

 _If they're here, than that means_ Ellone _may've sent them here._

His train of thought was broken by a striking visual he'd only seen once before he'd defected. A young woman, clad in a light blue duster with angel wings on its back, stood firmly at the bottom of the steps leading into the castle. Her rich black hair blew lively, even in the dead winds that carried them, and the streaks of brown highlights on opposite sides stood out vividly in a world where such simple joys had been eradicated.

 _That girl…she's alright. She's safe; free from Ultimecia's clutches..._

The girl turned to her side, and the man ducked behind the doorway into time to avoid being seen. Looking out from the side, he saw a young man in a black bomber jacket approach her and tenderly take hold of her hand. In a place that stood as a monument to Ultimecia's horrific campaign on humanity, the young woman gave a smile unlike any he'd seen before. It was for him; _that_ smile was for the man who held her hand.

 _He saved her. Their leader, the one Ellone looked to for help…_

 _This girl looks to him for more than that, now._

 _They're in love…but, there's more…_

Still crouched behind the door, he closed his eyes and reached out with his mind to see if his suspicions were true. To avoid being detected, he withdrew his mental tendrils the moment he sensed the girl's powers.

 _She's a Sorceress._

 _He's her Knight._

 _Two people. Pure hearts that now carry a burden unlike anyone else will ever know._

 _Yet, here they are, fighting to protect countless millions in the past; in their time._

Ultimecia's heretic rose up from the ground and shook his head. Even with all of their GF's and junctions set to a tee, the six of them were more than likely doomed to fail. He clenched his fists, furious, but also heartbroken that the six people he'd seen tormented by his former Queen had come so far, only to be inevitably struck down. His grip tightened, when suddenly the inside of his pinky and middle finger began to bleed.

He looked down and saw his ring had cut into the sides of his finger. The ring, his avatar, carried a semblance of his power; power he could've used to destroy Ultimecia himself had he the courage. All _he_ could do was run.

 _But not them…not you, Squall._

 _You forced your way, and led the charge with your comrades firmly at your side._

 _I can't stand by and watch you all run to your deaths._

 _Maybe…maybe I_ can _make a difference._

 _What I lack in courage, you lack in power._

 _But, with this ring by your side, you shall overcome._

The man pulled the ring off his finger and held it in the palm of his hand. He gazed deeply into the roaring lion that had been crafted by the strongest of magic. Even now, removed from his left ring finger, where he thought it'd stay forever; he felt its power call to him. He was not worthy to bear an emblem of great pride and strength, but the one meant to defeat Ultimecia _was_. He turned and looked into the rivers of time, all eschewed by the dreadful magic that threatened all of existence. With new resolve, he threw himself into the ether. He would force _his_ way to the town of Winhill, to entrust his ring to the one person who loved Squall as much as the woman he'd sworn to protect.

 _Your victory is assured, Leonhart._

 _With the lion by your side, you will save us all…_

* * *

Many thanks to h34rt1lly for helping me tighten this all up with months of beta-ing and structuring.

...Also for helping me make the pic for the story.

...Also for encouraging me to actually publish this.

...All the thanks to h34rt1lly lol.

This my first foray into fanfic, and I'm starting with one of my favorite games. Hope you all enjoy!

Oh, and for the record (not that you didn't know) I do not own FFVIII, or anything related to the original game.


	2. Matriarch

Chapter 1: Matriarch

"Come on, don't be mad at me, Raine," Laguna pleaded with his fiance. Raine Leonhart stood behind the bar with her arms crossed and her expression grim. What he'd hoped would be received as good news—that he was going to try and take up acting—had fallen terribly short. Her piercing blue eyes stared daggers that could cut diamond, but the former Galbadian soldier's head was too thick to even be chipped at. Edge's dulled after failing to get through to him, she rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"So, we're good?" he asked naively.

"No, we're not good! Going away on long trips for an article is one thing, but movies take much longer to finish, Laguna! Ellone's always so sad when you leave, but at least she knows how long you'll be away for. But, movies?! I'm sorry, but the occasional phone call or scribbled letter won't cut it!"

She reached under the counter and pulled out a small stack of crumpled pieces of paper that were—at best—covered in chicken scratch. Laguna scratched the back of his head and picked up the pile of letters he'd sent them over the years, and a nostalgic warmth filled him as he sorted through them.

"I remember this one; when I interviewed that historian about the Dollet Dukedom. That was awesome, he was so—

"Laguna!" Raine sharply interrupted. The freelance journalist rolled his eyes playfully and tried to win back the affections of his love.

"Look, we're penny-pinching right now, right? These freelance gigs have been good for us! I can only help out so much around here, right? If we start pulling in some extra cash with this movie business, we might be able to hire a waiter! You don't want _me_ to be taking customer's orders, do you?"

"You mean butchering them?" Raine corrected.

Laguna couldn't help but laugh. Fierce as her words were, and nevermind that she was genuinely angry with him, he was never _really_ hurt by them. He'd proposed to her for a reason—Raine's reprimanding of him were balanced out by the fact that not _once_ had she spoken those words with any intention other than to help him. It wasn't like this all the time, and Laguna knew he tried her patience with his spontaneous adventures with Kiros. Even with the money he'd bring back after each one; he knew she just wanted him to stay with her and Ellone.

 _You and me both…_

He got up from the stool as Raine's glare followed his every move. His long black hair hung over his face, only revealing half of his smirk. By the time she saw his mischievous grin, she was already laughing as he tickled her sides through her sweater.

"Stop! Stop!" she yelped while trying to stop laughing. Laguna pulled back, and Raine's temper had faded.

"I promise I'll find out what the shooting schedule is like. I'll be around more, I promise. I don't wanna make Ellone sad." He leaned forward and brushed some stray hairs that had fallen out of place over her face.

"Or you…" he finished. Reluctant to fully accept his apology, she caved when he moved his hand down from her face and brushed his fingers against hers.

"Laguna...what am I going to do with you?" she replied, shaking her head but with a heartfelt smile.

"If all goes according to plan, thanking me. Once we can secure the pub's financial future, I won't have to go out on these crazy jobs any more. You know what's gonna be great? When we're sitting around down the line—surrounded by our family at some grandkids birthday party, you can tell the stories about what a moron I was, and how I tried to raise money for the family by doing this, that, and the other thing all the time. It'll be a tradition! Everyone will look forward to family reunions to hear Grandma Raine's stories about Grampy Laguna's wacky adventures."

She was speechless. When he'd proposed, it was a complete surprise—she'd thought he was just about to leave before he slipped the ring onto her finger. She was so overcome with joy as he stood there, adorably embarrassed, and showed her his matching piece. They embraced, and she held him so tightly in her arms that he would joke later she almost broke all of the bones she'd help fix when she'd found him washed ashore. That night had led to, unbeknownst to him, the conception of the first new member of this huge family they were, according to him, destined to have.

"You...you've thought about all of that, huh?" she asked, a tear forming in her eye. He quickly wiped it away for her as he nodded in response.

"Totally," he replied. They kissed, and Raine found herself wondering how she could ever get frustrated with this man.

Not one to indulge in the moment, Laguna pulled away and started off towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" she asked, secretly hoping they'd be heading to the bedroom instead.

"Ummm...well, you remember that last couple that came in? The guy's cheeseburger...well, the one he ate was actually the second one I made…" Immediately incensed, Raine put her desires on hold and her scrutinizing glare returned.

"What happened to the _first_ one," she asked, gritting the words through her teeth. Tiptoeing his way to the kitchen door, Laguna only answered once he got a foot inside.

"...Alot."

Before Raine could demand another answer, he'd already bolted through the doors, leaving her frustrated, but laughing all the same at his charm.

"What do you mean a lot?!" she yelled. Though there was surely a lengthy lecture to come after he'd finished cleaning, the two of them would be smiling wildly, and enjoying every second of it.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After navigating the tainted river of time, the first thing that came into sight was a rotted wooden sign that read "Raine's Pub". He was in Winhill; that he was certain of. But _when_ was he? Did he pick the right timeline whilst drifting through time compression? He had only seen the prairie fields in his periphery before he jumped through the wormhole, unable to further examine his would-be destination before he'd lose it completely. The surrounding buildings in the town square didn't resemble the dilapidated structures he knew they'd become; untouched by the wear and tear of war. Perhaps he had picked at least _close_ to the right time. There was only one way to find out: He stepped forward and pushed open the door to the pub.

The room was comprised entirely of mahogany furniture, and flower-themed wallpaper adorned the walls. It was all a bit faded, but held a humble charm to them that made him feel safe in a place that wasn't his home. It was certainly nothing like what he was used to, but that was beside the point.

 _This is the place…_

He looked around the room to see if anyone was home, when the door to what he assumed was the kitchen opened.

"Oh, sorry, we're closed for the night," said the woman who emerged. It was her, the woman he'd sought in his travels. Strong, tempered, and straightforward in her approach, she locked eyes with him, waiting for him to leave.

"I'm…I'm sorry, but, this is Raine's Pub, right? I saw the sign but wasn't sure if it was _the_ Raine's Pub or not?" the stranger asked as though he didn't already know. His facade fell flat, she didn't buy it for a minute. Her look of confusion didn't stem from what he asked but rather, to the point, why he was bothering with the farce?

" _The_ Raine's Pub?" she asked suspiciously. The man swallowed nervously and nodded to confirm.

"Hey Raine, who's there?" hollered a cheerful voice from the kitchen.

"Just a—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a man wearing a dark blue jacket and brown cargo pants walked through the door with a bustle of energy. His long, thick black hair was pushed back, and while his piercing green eyes held sway over the man, they were kind and inviting. He had the build of someone who'd seen combat, but appeared as someone who would've never hurt a soul if he could avoid it.

 _Laguna..._

"Holy Hyne! You look terrible! Did you walk here from Dollet or something?!" the former soldier exclaimed.

The stranger immediately played into the story he'd been given.

"Well, not _all_ the way. My…uh, car broke down somewhere around the D-District Prison after I stopped by…um, Deling, for gas," he explained.

The man in the blue jacket laughed and sauntered on over to the stranger.

"Get in here and sit down. You obviously need to take a load off. You in the mood for anything in particular, or should I just throw together today's special?"

The stranger played along.

"That's actually why I came here. Everyone talks about this place so much in...Dollet, that I just needed to see it for myself. I figured I was closer to here than Deling when the car broke down, so I hoofed it."

"Your geography skills aren't so great, are they pal? You were _way_ closer to Deling then here, but you were on a mission, right? Well, mission accomplished!"

Laguna looked back at Raine with a big smile, only to be met with a scolding glare.

"I told you! Kiros was right! We publish a story about this place in a foreign magazine, and people will come here _just_ for the food. They won't linger, and we'll rake in tons of cash. Here's our proof!" he exclaimed, patting the stranger hard on the back.

"Laguna, this man looks exhausted. Why don't we just fix him up in the hotel, and then tomorrow we can—"

"He needs food _now,_ Raine," Laguna replied playfully. He laughed to himself again and then waltzed past her and into the kitchen.

"One special coming right up!" he yelled before the door closed.

The stranger let out a long, nervous breath. It felt like he'd been holding it ever since Laguna started talking. Had he really been so lucky as to pick the _exact_ moment he was trying to find? The chances were infinitesimal that he'd be able to make it here, let alone at just a glance. Then again, his entire journey was absurd to begin with; no sense in trying to question the path fate had chosen.

Raine grimaced and marched over to the table, pulled out a chair, and took a seat with an authoritative air about her.

"I already know you're suspicious of me," the stranger said without looking at her.

"You must know your story is ridiculous. Your car broke down by the prison but you just had to come here and _eat_? The only person who would do something like that is making you food in the kitchen right now. Considering there's no one else like him, I don't buy your story for a minute. Start talking. Now," she demanded.

The stranger raised an eyebrow at her, impressed by her moxie. He'd seen snippets of it through Junction Machine Ellone, but to experience it first-hand all but confirmed he'd made the right choice in coming here.

"I really did want to come here," he started.

"How do you know about this place?" she interrupted, officially beginning her interrogation.

"Careful research," he replied. That answer didn't seem to faze her.

"You don't look like you're from Esthar…you can't be here looking for successors to Adel."

"Adel will never find her successor. Her power will be sealed away for a very long time— only to be revived once more before she finally meets her end." He spoke with an ominous, but knowledgeable tone that Raine hadn't anticipated upon first glance. And what was even more curious was that, from what she could tell, he was telling the truth.

The Stranger had long, wildly untamed hair, like a lion's mane. His long beard complimented it, hiding away most of his face. He had high cheekbones, fair skin, and from what she could tell, smoky grey eyes that looked like they had once been a different color. Perhaps he'd been in some kind of accident that scarred up his face, hence the wild hair that hid most of it; she couldn't tell. He wore a dark grey trench coat fashioned to look like a regal coat of arms. Along its sleeves and down its sides were odd markings she had never seen before; perhaps something unique to wherever it was he was from. It was tailored to his body so that he could fight in it with ease. The outfit reminded her of stories told of generals from long ago who fought on the battlefield alongside their soldiers. It was made to compliment his every move and not constrain him in the slightest. Under its long coattails, she could just barely make out the sheath that was attached to his belt, obviously meant for his sword .

"Raine…" said the stranger.

"Yes?" she replied, listening but maintaining her distance from him.

"Your knowledge, your temperance…it's the reason you haven't thrown me out of here like anyone else would. Laguna's spirit compliments it well. Tell me, does he know?" That question took Raine back and she began to inch away from him.

"I imagine the answer is no, right? If he knew, then what I know would be very different."

"And just what _do_ you know?" she demanded, her words laced with a mix of protectiveness and hostility.

"That you and that man are parents to the one destined to defeat the Sorceress once and for all."

Raine froze. Those words bore weight not meant for casual conversation, let alone introductions under a cloud of mystery and confusion.

 _The Sorceress, does he mean Adel?_

That monster had sent Estharian troops to towns and cities all over the world, searching for young girls to inherit her powers. Ellone's parents were killed instantly when they wouldn't let her be taken, prompting Galbadian forces to intervene and temporarily occupy the small town, ensuring nowhere else in the region could be poached by her. Her death would bring cause for joy all over the world, yet this man spoke of it like it was on the back page of yesterday's paper.

"You don't know the sex yet, do you?" the stranger continued.

Raine leered at him defensively and laid into him.

"Oh, I know. I'm having a boy. Laguna's going to have a son and Ellone a little brother; everything's going to be so great, especially when he grows up and saves the world!" She ended the sentence with sarcasm so thick it practically coated her tongue.

"Yes, it will be, actually," he continued. She rolled her eyes and rose out of her chair.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, reaching out to her.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled and smacked his hand away. The stranger quickly backed out of his seat and threw his hands in the air.

"I promise you, I've come to ensure his success. Last I saw him, he had just arrived with his friends to fight the Sorceress. I didn't get a chance to see what happened after they entered her castle; time had already become compressed and I had to make my move to get back to you." His tone was oddly calm for the subject matter, inappropriately so, considering the things he was saying regarding it. Raine took note of this and was tempted to let her guard down, but her newfound mother's instinct told her to keep away and protect her soon-to-be-born son.

Still with his hands up, the stranger approached the table again. Slowly, he lowered them to his sides and gestured for her to sit back down.

"I'm here because I need to make sure, that without a shadow of a doubt, Squall will emerge victorious from this battle."

Raine's heart grew heavy. Her eyes began to well up with tears, overwhelmed by just the mention of the name she'd picked for her son.

"Squall…how did you know?"

"I didn't have to do much research on that one," said the stranger with a hint of confidence. Raine sat back down with her hand over her racing heart.

"I don't have children, but I imagine hearing that he's going to save the world is quite overwhelming. In a good way, I mean," he added.

"Yes…I don't think there are any baby books that prepare a mother to hear such a thing about her son," she replied while trying to catch her breath.

The stranger smiled a little and readjusted his posture. He wagered he could talk a bit more freely, but he had to be careful. He was still in the past, and doing or saying too much could have repercussions he didn't intend. He had to play it _just right_.

"Squall arrives at the Sorceress's castle with his comrades whom he leads into battle, and intends to return home to deliver peace unto the world after defeating her. I saw this, because I was just escaping the castle as he arrived. I created a diversion, unbeknownst to him and his team, that allowed them to make it past certain…boundaries."

The stranger couldn't think of another way to say that Squall had arrived in the future by traveling through time after it had been compressed by Sorceress Ultimecia. He worried that using such broad, open-ended phrases to explain Squall's journey, as well as his own, might lose the little trust he had such a loose hold of. However, if he got into specifics, he'd sound like a maniac—more than he already may have. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and attempted to carry on.

"You work—er, _worked_ with the sorceress?" she asked, confused, with a hint of worry in her question.

"I was one of her...subjects. Not something I really had a choice in..." he responded.

Raine nodded slowly, feigning understanding. She didn't doubt a single word the man had said to her, but the fact that she couldn't place _why_ she believed him troubled her. She felt a strange connection to him, and although the reasons for it were also lost on her, she still believed him.

The stranger was relieved, as his stepping carefully around what the full story was had worked once again. He was technically one of Ultimecia's subjects, but that's only because a Sorceress's Knight is bound to their every word. Granted, his devotion would've been hers to have, Sorceress or not, but, broadly speaking, it classified him as a "subject."

"I broke away and caused a ruckus when I couldn't take it anymore—what she was doing with her power, I mean; it makes Adel seem meager by comparison."

Raine shuddered at the thought. The stranger nodded in agreement before continuing. "In her pursuit of me, Squall arrived at the front steps, then I began my journey here."

"Your journey…from the future…" Raine had finally put the pieces together. Her revelation didn't lend itself to why she trusted him, but the stranger was a man no different than, say, Laguna—just from another time. She was half right.

The stranger nodded, and then proceeded to pull out a ring from his left pocket.

"This ring is imbued with the power she bestowed unto me. In the right hands, it has the power to destroy her." He placed it on the table and displayed it prominently. It depicted a terrifying lion with its mouth wide open, savagely roaring at whoever dared stare it down.

Raine picked up the ring and immediately felt warmth generate from it as she stared deeply into the beast's eyes, sensing an immensely powerful presence behind them.

"You say this ring has the power to destroy her…but you couldn't use it yourself? Didn't you say she bestowed it unto you? And, I thought you said Squall defeated the sorceress, but now you're saying that this ring will be the key to his success."

The stranger took a moment to process her questions, and then cleared his throat before he began to answer them.

"Can I answer your questions in reverse? It'll be easier for me to sort out how to explain certain things." She cautiously nodded yes, and the stranger proceeded.

"First, I said he arrived there as I escaped. He is the one destined to defeat the Sorceress, so I talked about it as if I knew of the outcome from his inevitable showdown with her. However, I didn't come back here just to tell you that. I came here to _ensure_ it happens; that he lives and emerges the victor." He took a deep breath and slowly continued with his next point.

"Second, no, I couldn't use it myself. I was too much of a coward to turn fully against her. I ran because it was all I could bring myself to do. The horror she was...when you're under someone's thumb for so long, the thought of rebelling in full, let alone at all, seems intangible." The stranger motioned to the ring; Raine had yet to take her eyes off of it.

"He will not falter with that ring on his hand; this I know. Your son is not a coward…not like me."

On that, he sighed and looked down at the table. Raine finally pulled her attention away from the ring and directed it to him. In the past ten minutes she had met a man from the future who spoke of her unborn son as a hero, and had given to her a magical ring that would grant him the strength needed to become that very hero. Such a ridiculous ten minutes it had been, yet she believed every word.

"Uh, hey guys?" Both of them looked up towards the door to see an embarrassed Laguna scratching the back of his head; smoke billowing out of the kitchen through the open door.

"I screwed up the special," he said while smiling, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Smells like it," said the stranger with a half smile on his face.

"Hey, you can still eat it if you want!" Laguna joked back. The two laughed, and Laguna turned his attention to Raine.

"Hey, whatcha got there?" he asked, gesturing towards the ring.

"Oh, this?" she said, pretending that the ring with the giant lion's face on it was hardly noticeable.

"It's my gift to you both," said the stranger, rising from his seat. Laguna was confused.

"Gift? Oh, I get it…you don't have any gil, do you?"

The stranger shrugged.

"I actually don't, now that you mention it. Looks like the food didn't go to waste after all, and you still got my form of tender out of it."

"Isn't it something, Laguna?" she asked him.

Laguna leaned in and then quickly backed away. He wasn't scared, but the beast's intensity wasn't something you saw on the average ring.

"It's kinda freaky, to be honest. That a Dollet thing?" he asked.

"Laguna! That's very rude!"

"It's a family memento," interjected the stranger.

"You're giving us a family memento? That seems like something you'd hold onto. What's your angle, man?" Laguna looked over at Raine, then at the stranger, then back at Raine. Her long brown hair shimmered, even in the dim lighting of the pub. It looked particularly soft today, and the sweater and jeans she'd picked out that morning adorned her curves better than most of her other clothes. Laguna lined up the pieces, or so he thought.

"Hey, she's taken" he said, still smiling, but putting a protective arm around Raine's shoulders. Embarrassed by his action, but still a little swooned by his ability to be serious without threatening—the very thing that drew her to him—she turned inwards to his chest to hide her blush.

"Laguna…you're too much," she laughed. The stranger smiled and waved it off.

"I'm married, Laguna," he said, "I told you how much I'd heard about this place; the ring is my way of saying thank you for your hospitality, and making it even more wonderful than I had imagined it being."

He was, again, half telling the truth. Ultimecia's obsession with getting her hands on Ellone had given them a window into her past whenever she used her gift to connect with Squall. This place had seemed, even before he defected, quaint; lovely even. He really was taken back by how nice the two of them were in person. And, he _was_ married. The thing he wasn't being completely honest with Laguna about was the ring. He could've been telling bold faced lies the entire time though, and it wouldn't have mattered. From what he could tell, Laguna wasn't terribly perceptive. The warm way he lifted his arm off from Raine's shoulders and gave the stranger a bear hug, patting him hard on the back once more, was just more proof that there wasn't room for skepticism in a man so kind.

"So, since you're standing up. I take it you're leaving? Hope I didn't scare you off with the whole 'she's taken' thing," Laguna quipped.

The stranger shook his head and smiled softly.

"I want to see the shores before I make my way to the hotel. Thank you for your hospitality. If I haven't left before you wake tomorrow, know that we'll see each other again soon," he said, directing the entirety of that sentiment to Laguna.

"Oh?" he remarked back. Raine appeared confused now, too.

"I assure you," said the stranger once more. He held out his hand and shook Laguna's firmly before saying, "Thank you once more, Laguna."

"Hey, no problem, there…buddy…guy," said Laguna, now lost as to what the hell this man was talking about.

The stranger then made his way over to Raine.

"And, thank you, Raine. I take it you'll…follow through?" he asked regarding their conversation.

"I will, I most certainly will," she replied and gave the stranger a hug as well. He awkwardly returned the embrace for a second, like he'd never hugged anyone before, and then pulled away.

"Thanks again," he said, then made his way towards the door.

"Wait!" yelled Raine. He turned to look back, surprised at her sudden outburst. Laguna didn't seem to expect it, either.

"We didn't get your name.". The stranger hesitated for a moment; his mouth opened to reply, but no words came out. He didn't know his _actual_ name; he'd long forgotten it after becoming Ultimecia's Knight, after they'd both changed themselves together, for each other, against the world. He only knew the name she'd given him, so he replied with that.

"Griever. My name is Griever."


	3. The Fruits Of Our Labor

_Authors Note:_

 _Well, I couldn't have been happier with the turnout for my first post here! I'm so glad that everyone who read and reviewed enjoyed Laguna and Raine's dialogue so much! The chapter was named "Matriarch" for a reason; everyone's always wanted more from Raine, myself included. I wanted her to have her moment in the spotlight, and she got just that._

 _Also, I'm **really** glad everyone's so pumped out the identity of the character the story starts out with. I thought that last line was make or break, and so far, it looks like it makes...if that's a thing lol._

 _Special thanks to h34t1lly, LaylaEvercrest, Ally Todd, and Lecritic_

 _for being so kind to leave read and review, and also for following/favoriting the story as well! :D_

 _Also, shout out to Rasivel and julesmza for following, too! The support has been very encouraging, everyone!_

 _So, we opened up with a sort-of OC,_  
 _...then switched over to Laguna and Raine_  
 _...I wonder how our favorite six heroes have been doing..._

* * *

Chapter 2: The Fruits Of Our Labor...

"Come on! They're waiting for us and you're all the way back there! I'm all the way up here! We can't go see them together if you're _all_ the way back there and I'm _all_ the way up here!"

There was maybe a total of ten feet between them, but Selphie demanding that Irvine catch up to her was her way of showing she wanted him close. Walking together wasn't particularly easy, considering Irvine always walked with a slow stroll, and she'd taken quite fondly to skipping since they'd returned home the future. Seeing an opportunity to get a rise out of her, Irvine walked even _slower_ , flashing her a smirk.

"Oh no you don't!" She leapt forward and grabbed his right arm, pulling him forward, and almost knocking his trademark cowboy hat off.

"Whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" he exclaimed as he reached up to keep it balanced on his head.

"I'll knock more than your hat off if you don't hurry up!" she said, half joking, half threatening. Irvine didn't dare taunt her further, and picked up the pace. They stepped into the elevator, and Selphie pressed the button for the third floor; Cid's office. As the doors closed she leaned up against the sharpshooter, her shoulder against his. Or, her head against just below his shoulder. The height difference was significant, but it made the two of them all the more of a sight for sore eyes. Plus, they both liked the idea of one of them having to either bend down or get on their tippy toes to reach the other's lips. Every moment was enjoyed to the fullest by the two, and Selphie had journals upon journals strewn about her bedroom floor with well-documented recounts of each one. Irvine wasn't allowed to read them, she said, but it didn't matter. She wrote the dates they covered on the front of each of them, so he could recall every moment she had probably written about anyway.

The door opened and Selphie skipped out of the elevator and burst through the Headmaster's office door.

"We're here!" she piped. Irvine walked in after her, gently closing the doors and let out an exasperated breath.

" _Now_ we're here," he said with a smile.

Cid was just about to put on a pot of coffee, but walked away from the machine after Selphie barged in. Her energy would be enough to keep him awake at least until she left. Her gift of gab didn't allow for him to gauge when that would be, so he just started in with his briefing.

"Irvine, this mission was mainly for you, but I thought that due to how close in proximity to each other you two are all the time, I'd ask you both up here." Irvine realized Selphie was standing at attention and quickly adjusted his posture, giving the SeeD salute.

"At ease, kids. I want you to be as relaxed as possible for this briefing." Irvine stepped forward, curious as to what Cid was getting them involved in.

"So, I thought it was kinda weird you e-mailed us about this instead of paging us over the loudspeaker. Am I escorting someone, guarding someone? What's the scoop?"

"Irvine, it's—"

"It's not an assassination, right? We're in peace time now." Irvine hadn't meant to cut off his superior, but he didn't really know the Headmaster in personable way like the others did. His contacting the sharpshooter and the little warrior so discreetly made him a little anxious. Since the end of the war, his desire to fight had all but dissipated, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"It's not an assassination, Irvine. But, it's not a typical mission, either. You will be under contract with this client at all times. You're not to leave their side unless they specify that you can, or until _they_ leave. Also, no harm must come to the client. None whatsoever. If a bolt of lightning..."

Irvine temporarily tuned out the Headmaster's rambling.

 _Where the hell is he goin' with this?_

"What I'm saying is, he has requested a rifleman be at his side while he visits with us. He is an important, distinguished guest, and…" Bored already, Irvine yawned and stretched his arms out. Cid glared at him, bewildered at the blatant disrespect he displayed. The faux cowboy caught himself mid-stretch and quickly snapped to attention.

"Sir, I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry!" he said with a firm salute.

"He's sorry, sir!" followed Selphie, also saluting. Cid furrowed his brow and sat down in his chair.

"At ease. I know this sounds like a boring mission, considering what you've been through and all. You've been doing nothing but escort jobs lately and I know that with your skills, it seems like that's a waste, but, like I said, this job is different than the others," the Headmaster finished. Irvine looked over at Selphie, who was still firmly standing at attention; a consummate soldier in a yellow sundress.

 _I like different…_

"A change of pace is fine with me, sir. Can I see the contract?"

Cid handed him a folder with an elastic band wrapped around it to keep it shut. It was packed to the brim with what he assumed were the stipulations set by it, as well as info on the POI. His curiosity was piqued.

"It feels like forever since I've handed anyone a contract like that," Cid remarked.

Irvine thumbed through the papers inside, unable to find any photos of the man he was supposed to be protecting. Selphie peeked over to skim the pages, when she noticed something off herself.

"Hey, how come nothing's highlighted? Quisty at least puts tags on the important stuff."

"Quistis didn't prepare this contract. She doesn't know about this mission, actually. No one does, not even Squall."

Irvine brushed off Cid's cryptic response, returning to his first problem with what he'd seen of the contents so far.

"No photo I.D? How are we supposed to find this guy?"

"Our client is residing in the orphanage in Centra, on the Cape Of Good Hope."

"Centra?! You're saying we gotta go to Centra to find this guy?!" Irvine, surprised by his own outburst, collected himself, but kept on with his questions.

"And why is he staying at the orphanage, of all places? That place is in shambles."

"Edea and I have been fixing it up for the past six months or so; we plan to move there once the renovations are done. We allowed him to stay there for a bit before we decided it was okay for him to come here."

Cid's continued aversion to a straightforward answer rubbed Irvine the wrong way, and he narrowed his eyes before asking, "What do you mean 'before it was okay'? Would he have been at risk if he'd come earlier?"

Cid leaned back in his chair and looked at Irvine contemplatively.

"Is there a problem, Kinneas?"

Irvine rolled his eyes and returned to skimming the contents of the folder.

"No offense, headmaster, but something seems very off about all of this. First you secretly ask us to meet with you—I don't even remember giving you my e-mail address. Then, you inform us that _no one_ else on your staff, Quistis and Squall in particular, know about this contract."

Irvine turned back to the folder, quickly noting yet _another_ problem.

"Oh, and also, maybe you can tell me why nowhere in this folder, is this man's name even _listed_!"

Selphie hopped forward and put her hand on Irvine's back.

"Heeeey, take it easy," she said quietly.

Irvine couldn't pin down exactly why the lack of information was bothering him so much. SeeD's weren't meant to question their orders; then again, he wasn't technically SeeD. Maybe it was because it reminded him of Cid's actions before the battle of the Gardens; how he hid from NORG, avoided taking part in any of their battles, kept secrets from them left and right, and then placed the entire weight of it all on Squall's shoulders. The whole thing stunk of a ploy to keep him in the dark, and he didn't like it. He'd grown weary of fighting, but he'd _never_ been akin to lying; especially to those closest to him.

"I'm out, Headmaster." He plopped the folder down on the desk and turned to walk out.

"Kinneas, you get your ass back here!" He'd never heard Cid talk that way, not ever—it didn't faze him one bit.

"Seeya," continued Irvine. Before he could open the door though, Edea opened it from the other side, blocking the exit. When his eyes met with his Matron's, anxiety emanating from them, Irvine stopped dead in his tracks.

"I haven't been listening for more than a few minutes, but Irvine, you must stay. We need you to take this mission," she said pleadingly. Irvine let out a groan. Cid giving him orders, even yelling at him was one thing, but Matron? She meant everything to him and the rest of the orphanage gang. He knew he didn't really _have to_ stay, but he at least had to hear Matron out.

He turned and plopped down onto one of the couches in Cid's office, his head facing the floor. Selphie ran over to Edea to give her a hug, and then walked her over to the desk where Cid stood, still grilling Irvine.

"Irvine," began Edea. "This man's contract with us has come at a rather unusual time, wouldn't you say?" Irvine tsked and turned his head away.

 _Of course it has. Been tryin' so hard not to think about everything I couldn't even remember it was pissin' me off..._

Just a few days ago, Rinoa had had an incident in the training room. It wasn't the first time something related to her newfound powers had happened, but this time a cadet had gotten hurt. To keep the student body from finding out about it, Quistis, Xu, and Squall had handled any questions related to the boy's injury, and were quick but calm to dismiss any questions about it being related to Rinoa. The student was given a free ride for the rest of the semester and was being treated for his injury at Balamb Hospital. The Sorceress lived in the same place where students trained to one day _kill_ her; how she'd managed to go over a year without any kind of altercation with someone was beyond him.

Then again, she _was_ the Commander's girlfriend; that went a long way, considering how much everyone looked up to Squall. She was also sweet to a fault, and it didn't hurt that she was one of the six who saved the world from another Sorceress's wrath, too. She had a lot going in her favor, but scars from the last war had yet to begin healing. Rinoa was a reminder of the courage needed to stand up and fight, but now shared the title of the one who struck down those same brave people.

"Irvine?" asked Edea. He had drifted off in his train of thought, and shook his head before returning to the room.

"Yeah, the timing's bad, and the tension from Rinoa's incident a few days ago is still ripe in the halls. If I didn't spend my time chasing skippy over here, I don't know what I'd start to think about it all," he replied. Selphie swayed back and forth and gave a soft smile at Irvine's response. It was true; Selphie could lift his spirits—or anyone's for that matter—in an instant. Perhaps he'd been using that to distract him from the more serious matters at hand.

"We're trying to keep a confident front in the wake of what happened, Irvine," stated Cid. "We've been accepting missions as though nothing's wrong. This mission however, is…we would've rejected it if…"

Irvine leaned forward for the Headmaster to finish relaying what could be some reliable info, something, anything to calm him.

"If we weren't sure this man could help us," he finished. Edea grabbed Cid's hand and squeezed it tightly. He squeezed back, and Irvine saw that the two had a vested interest in this matter, given their own history.

"What's this guy got to do with Rinoa?" asked Selphie.

Cid sat back down at his desk and grabbed the folder from where Irvine had dropped it, handing it over to Selphie.

"Selphie, since you've been here, we'll ask our contractor if he's comfortable with you accompanying Irvine to Centra. We planned on the two of you going anyway; we'll just make sure he's ok with it." he said, leaning back in his chair as he extended an olive branch to Irvine.

"I'm sure he will be," added Edea. The sharpshooter felt a little more comfortable with the idea of going to retrieve this man if it meant Selphie would be with him, but Cid and Edea were still leaving a lot of questions unanswered, and it was blatantly obvious that that was their intention.

"Look, I won't push you to tell me anything you're not comfortable sharing. I can see this is…I don't know…weighing heavily on you mind, or something. Lying probably doesn't sit well on your _conscience_ either." Edea and Cid looked up and glared at Irvine.

"Irvy!" exclaimed Selphie. Irvine stood up straight, righted his hat just so, and pressed on.

"Look, I've followed you blindly before. The way things turned out in the short run was frustrating, but it all worked out for the best. I'll put my faith back in you, Cid. And Matron, if you're on board with this, then that solidifies my commitment even more." He looked back over the pages Selphie was skimming through and rolled his eyes again at the poorly prepared document.

"But, please, just tell me how this guy relates to Rinoa's problem in any way. He's a complete stranger; do you even know him that well? What's his story? Give us something so we don't feel like we're _completely_ in the dark on this. Give us _both_ peace of mind."

Edea gave a small smile and looked over at Cid, who seemed overwhelmed by Irvine's insistence for more information. Irvine wasn't SeeD; the whole "SeeD's aren't supposed to question their orders" spheal would only go so far with him. He sighed and reached into his desk to get something.

"The man wants to introduce himself to you in person," Cid explained. He pulled out a metal box that, while small, was dense and heavy. He placed it on his desk with a thud and opened it. Inside was an orange crystal shard that dimly reflected the light in the room. Irvine didn't understand what kind of game Cid was playing, but the longer he looked at it, the more something began to resonate within.

"Heeey…haven't we seen something like that before, Irvy?" Selphie chimed in. Irvine searched his mind for an answer but couldn't come up with one.

"You'll know in due time," said Cid, closing the box. "What's important is that he sent it to us to confirm his identity, and that he really _can_ help us. He'll be waiting for you at the orphanage, like I told you."

"Probably waxing nostalgic about every little thing," added Edea. Cid turned to her and she made a face indicating she wasn't supposed to have said that. Irvine caught Cid's glance and pounced.

"Explain that. Now," he demanded. The couple looked back at him, wanting to reprimand him for his tone.

"Please," he added.

"Yes, please," chirped Selphie. Edea ran her hand across her forehead; Irvine hadn't noticed she'd started sweating as soon as she said that.

"He's been away for a very long time, in The Great Salt Lake—"

"You're lying," interrupted Irvine.

"Kinneas! We can't divulge anymore information then we already have!" Cid yelled.

"Take what you have, and when you arrive perhaps he'll answer some of your questions, but I'm telling you now that it's unlikely. Your questions _will_ be answered, but only at _his_ discretion. Depending on how things go during his stay here, you may get them all at once, only to wish that you'd never asked!"

"Cid!" Edea exclaimed in shock.

Irvine didn't know how to process that. Cid was basically telling him that he wasn't allowed to know more than he did, to stop asking questions, and that if he persisted, he'd likely regret it. It was a thinly veiled threat from a man who'd always had a lot to hide, but had no shelter in which to take refuge. Cid was signing him and Selphie up for something that had gone from strange and lacking of information, to sounding flat out dangerous. But, Irvine tipped his hat and accepted the mission, as Cid was finally being honest.

"So, we take the Balamb train to Timber, then take that to FH, and then what? Will there be a boat to take us to the orphanage?" he asked like a dutiful soldier. Cid aimed his chin up and addressed him as so.

"There's no need for the transfer from Timber. You'll be taking the overnight to FH. And yes, you'll both be accompanied by two SeeDs who will remain on the boat while you go in to fetch our client," replied Cid.

"Why the overnight?" asked Irvine. Cid adjusted his glasses to bide time for an answer.

"I want you to be well rested and not worry about catching a second train. Also it gives you plenty of time to…well, prepare—for lack of a better term." Irvine knew if he tried to ask him to elaborate again, it wouldn't do him any good.

 _Not looking to beat a dead horse. I guess I'll have some Pulse Ammo on me…_

"Headmaster?" asked Selphie quietly. Cid, Edea, and Irvine turned to the little warrior, hoping she would break the tension with her boundless spirit.

"I know there are things you can't tell us, but don't turn tail on us like you did before the battle of the Gardens. If we're going to find out what this is all about in 'due time' then fine, but if this is linked to helping Rinoa like you claim, you owe it to us to stay by our side throughout the entire thing. Okay?"

The tension had indeed disappeared, but so had everyone else's ability to speak. This was the most serious thing Selphie had ever said in her entire career as a SeeD, and of all the people to say it to; she was saying it to the Headmaster of the Garden. Her point however, was crystal clear. Cid's conflicted look of pride in his student and subtle shame within himself showed he understood that perfectly.

"I promise." He shook her hand, then shook Irvine's.

"Be careful on your trip. It's two days to Centra and two days back," he said as his closing statements. Edea stepped forward and gave them both warm, loving hugs. Selphie returned the hug as only Selphie could, and jumped into Edea's arms before she could even wrap them around her. Irvine hugged back, but he was still wary about the whole thing. His faith in his Matron was ironclad, but his confidence in the future holding good tidings for them waned every second he thought of that strange orange crystal shard.

"Dismissed," said Cid. They saluted him, about faced, and walked out.

Once in the elevator, Selphie nudged Irvine who looked uncharacteristically pensive.

"It'll work out, Irvy," she said warmly. He could've given her a fake smile to let on he was comfortable with this, but he didn't want to lie to the person he cared about the most. That made him all the more vexed over how Cid and Edea were handling this.

"Hey, don't get lost in your head like Squall! I hate it when he does that! Do I have to put on a blue duster and fly into space and…" Irvine immediately broke and started laughing and leaned in to kiss Selphie on the lips. She was already prepped on her tippy toes to beat him to it, and the smile he gave her then was real.

"I prefer the yellow dress and combat boots, personally," he replied. She caressed his cheek and then started to sway back and forth once more.

"It'll work out, really," she assured him.

"How're you so sure?" he asked. His questioning her optimism didn't even slightly take the wind out of her sails.

"I just am. We'll make sure it's okay."

"We?" he asked.

"Mhm, you bet!" The elevator door opened to the first floor. Where she began to skip to, Irvine wasn't sure. He just knew he'd be spending his afternoon chasing after her.

 _So much for packing..._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Yeah, that's the last of it. Once the cold finally lifts, this place will be back to its old self again." Zell had successfully reinstalled the railing on the bridge leading to the "secret room" in the training center. He'd taken it upon himself to fix up the place after Rinoa's incident a few days ago, with Quistis occasionally stopping in to help out. Before expressing her gratitude for his hard work, she carefully looked around to make sure they were alone.

"What're you looking for?" he asked.

"Dinkies..." joked Quistis. Zell winced at the mention of the group of admirers he'd amassed since their time back. Both of them had been instated as instructors, with Quistis now as the Head Instructor. With their new positions came new responsibilities they were eager to take upon themselves, but Quistis's warning of students who got a little "too attached" had been sorely understated. While she had experience putting off or just flat out ignoring the "Trepes", Zell's "Dinkies" were far more persistent, mirroring his level of energy and intensity.

"You know, they could've at least spelled my name right. The hell is a 'Dinky' supposed to be?" he quipped.

"Try not to read too much into it, Zell. You'll get used to it after a while," she replied, almost sounding boastful as to how she'd "gotten used" to have fans. Zell raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smile on his face, and Quistis returned his expression with her ever-superior glare.

"What?" she asked.

"You _like_ having fans, don't you?" he jested. Quistis rolled her eyes and waved off his inquiry.

"Damn, it is frickin' cold in here!" he exclaimed, quickly changing the subject as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms.

"You should've worn more layers," suggested Quistis, who had her winter SeeD jacket on over her red-peach civilian clothes, a scarf, and a pair of winter boots that, somehow, looked ostensibly like the regular pair of stiletto heeled boots she was fond of.

"I just thought that after a few days, it'd be at least a _little_ warmer in here! What do you think? Was it the fact she used a Triple Blizzaga in such a confined space?" Zell asked, to which the Head Instructor to shook her head.

"Students experiment with triple ice spells in here all the time. I'd imagine, judging from the damage done, she cast multiple Triple Blizzagas, which all went off at the same time. Imagine three different mages casting that spell and having them go off together; she did something to that effect, but probably ten times over or so," she explained. Zell held eye contact with her to hide his struggling with the math in his head.

"So, like, three Triple Blizzagas all going off at once, over and over and over? She could've cast…what, ninety you think?"

"In no more than a minute," she replied.

Baffled by the numbers, Zell could only shake his head in disbelief. His loyalty to her hadn't wavered for a second, even if this was her _third_ incident. Someone had even gotten hurt this time, but Zell wasn't one to flat out give up on his friends. After the war, he'd decided that he'd be loyal to his comrades for the rest of his life, no matter what. Quistis' pensive look on the other hand, indicated something different.

"What's with the face, Quistis?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh…well, I've been thinking lately—"

"About what?"

"I was going to tell you," she replied slightly irritated.

"Better not be anything along the lines of questioning Rinoa. There's no room for that kind of talk in our group." Zell leaned up against a tree while Quistis looked away, ashamed of herself for thinking just those thoughts. She tried to change the mood by asking a question herself.

"Have you seen her at all since this happened?" she asked.

"Well, I've been pretty busy going back and forth from here and Balamb for more supplies. Plus, I visit Faust every now and then at the hospital. I gotta say, for someone who took an ice shard to the knee, he's in pretty good spirits! On top of all that, he's gonna make a full recovery, and..."

It was clear that he was choosing to occupy all of his free time to avoid confronting the issue whatsoever.

Quistis shook her head and shot Zell a serious look.

"I get it, Zell. I'm not going to start thinking badly of our friend, okay? You can cut it with the whole 'everything's fine' routine. Just because we acknowledge something is wrong with her, doesn't mean we're out to get her." She cut through Zell's façade in an instant. He let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders.

"Yeah, I know. I just hate that it's happening to _her_ ; the one person who can make Squall smile— _the_ one. She inherits Matron's powers by accident, gets manipulated like a puppet by some evil witch from the future, and now, the free spirit we all know and love is tormented by it probably day and night.

"Then crap like this happens, and…I mean, what do you think about all of this?" he asked, trying to avoid overwhelming himself with the details.

Quistis slowly started pacing in a circle as she prepared her answer. Zell wasn't going to like it, but she had to speak up and try to get him to understand the matter at hand.

"I think Matron can only be of so much help to her. She's our age, Zell, but hasn't received any of the training, nor does she have any of the discipline we do. She probably wouldn't want to learn those things, either. She's a rebel; rebelled against her father, the Galbadian government...Hell, her entire involvement with us was because she was fighting against someone or something trying to put her in line and have her follow orders.

"She's so sweet and kind, but can be impulsive and reckless with her decisions. Someone like _that_ harbors a power that could tear our world apart…it scares me, Zell. Just thinking about how very likely it is that Rinoa could cause serious harm to multiple people, not because she's evil, but just because she's eighteen and acts every bit of it."

The martial artist plopped down on the ground and shook his head. She was right, and it hurt to hear. He wanted to keep believing that there was no long term threat in Rinoa being a Sorceress, but that went against all of their training at Garden. More importantly, it went against everything that the two Sorceress Wars had proven to be true.

"She has Squall, though. He's her Knight, and he's a rock. He'll be able to help where all of us can't, right?" he asked hopefully.

"He was there for every incident, Zell. Each time it seemed like it was completely out of their hands. And you know what? I think it was; neither of them could've anticipated those sudden outbursts of…just incredible magic. Sorcery, rather, but now I'm just getting into semantics. The point is, that, I really don't know what to think about it. I'm only worried for her."

"Not him?" asked Zell; he was surprised she left Squall out of that last statement. Quistis shrugged.

"Squall…I don't know. I feel like he'll be able to take care of himself. In the end, no matter what's happened over the past year, he still has that instinct and the ability to do it. I just don't know what it means for _their_ future…"

"I don't even want to think of a future that doesn't have the two of them together, just being so…happy," he mumbled and Quistis walked over to him and offered her hand. He grabbed it and pulled himself up.

"They _are_ happy, but that doesn't change what may come to pass over the years. Do you see what I mean?" Zell turned away from her for a moment, and then sighed in agreement.

"Just don't quit on them, okay? You're the brains, Quistis; if anyone's gonna be able to figure out a way to fix this, it's you," he said without hesitation. Quistis was taken back by the statement, blushing a little from his compliment.

"You think that highly of me, Zell?" she asked, a little embarrassed.

"Hey, you were our instructor for a reason, right? And now you're back as one of the head honchos around here. I'm the brawns, Selphie and Irvine are the…uh, we'll look at a chart later, or something; but _you're_ the brains, and Squall and Rinoa are the heart." A tear welled up in Quistis' eye but she rubbed it away before Zell could notice. She was in awe of his sentiment. Zell didn't know how poetic and touching that was, but that was probably for the best. For him to just naturally say things like that without giving it any thought spoke volumes of his true nature.

"Thank you, Zell. I've no intention of quitting on them, I promise. I'll think of something; I have to fulfill my role in the group, don't I?" she joked.

"Damn right!" he said back assuredly. He looked at his watch and his eyes grew wide when he realized the time.

"Crap, we're gonna miss the hot dogs! Let's move, Trepe!"

He bolted towards the exit while Quistis laughed to herself, slowly following the brawn.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Squall filled out the last of his gunblade license paperwork and stacked the papers together neatly. A new law had passed within the world counsel that all combat instructors at the Garden's had to file for their weapon of choice. It was a provision laid out to help justify Garden's military presence after the war had ended. At least, that's what it said on paper. The truth was two-fold. One aspect of it was that it would allow every government official to know who was capable of what outside of their ranks and titles. The other was a way to keep tabs on the three massive military forces that were entirely neutral—but were available for hire—in regard to international relations and conflicts. To Squall, it was just another line of red tape laid over them after the war. He had to register before the end of the week, or else Garden would confiscate his armory. If that happened, there would be a record of him being insubordinate, and that was something that, even as phony as this all was, would be unacceptable to him.

Also, having all seven of the gunblades he'd used during the war reminded him of the progress he'd made as a fighter throughout it. From the standard issue Revolver, to the flashy look of the Flame Saber, to the radian cyan steel of Lionheart. He'd come a long way since his days as a cadet and his collection gave him a great deal of confidence. He'd meant to send in the paperwork last week, but something had come up that he had to deal with first and foremost. A family emergency, or at least that's how he classified it in his head. He would one day, but letting himself get caught up in Rinoa's whims and spontaneous charm was a welcome departure from anything that required responsibility and discipline. A wedding ring comes with those, but the thought of one still made him feel a way he hadn't ever felt before.

Anything and everything about Rinoa did that for him. She lay on their bed sound asleep, looking like an angel as always. He didn't want her to wake up and catch him staring, so he tried to occupy himself with something else.

 _Let's see…oh, I should find Zell and ask him to help me get a good deal at the junk shop in Balamb_.

Squall's ring, The Griever, had bore some scratches on it from the fights it endured at his side. He had wounds in every place imaginable, and a giant scar across his face to top it all off, but the ring only had a few nicks in it at best. He always felt that it'd been there for him, even when he was alone; be it by unfortunate circumstance, or by choice, Griever was with him. He got up to open the door, when suddenly there came a coo from behind him. He turned and saw his angel rising, getting ready to start the day.

"Morning," she said in a scratchy voice.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked. She nodded and yawned while rubbing her eyes.

"I'm guessing you've been up for a few hours already, huh?" she asked.

"I had to fill out the paperwork for my license. Now that things have calmed down, I can get that taken care of."

Rinoa frowned at the last part of that sentence. _Now that things have calmed down_.

Squall saw her expression and grew concerned.

"Oh, I didn't mean to…"

"No, I know, I know" she reassured. She put her feet on the ground and slowly stood up. Stretching her arms out wide, she waited for her Knight to come and give her a hug—maybe even a kiss if he would let himself. There was no maybe about it for him, though. Their lips met and immediately he was picking her up off the ground, holding her as their bodies entwined.

 _How can she have lips so warm after just waking up?_

 _How can he have lips so chapped and cold all the time?_

Squall pulled his head away for a moment and pursed his lips.

"See, I told you, Chapstick just makes them worse for some reason."

She rolled her eyes and pulled him back in so they could continue saying good morning the right way. He made his way over to the bed, her still in the air, safe in his arms, when there came a knock on the door.

 _Oh, come on._

They looked at each other and smiled, realizing they'd thought the same thing, and it made them want to jump back into it all the more. The knock came again, harder this time.

"One minute," droned Squall. He turned back to Rinoa and gave her one last kiss before heading for the door. He opened it, but there was no one on the other side.

 _What the hell?_

He looked at Rinoa to ask if she'd heard a knock, but she shrugged, unsure as to what was going on.

"Maybe they knew they were intruding on our private time?" she asked cutely.

 _That better be the answer_.

Squall had a brief thought that someone was playing a prank on him, as this wasn't the first time it had happened. He'd been hearing knocking at the door for a week now, since the incident in the training room, only to find no one on the other side. He shook his head and closed the door.

"If someone's playing a prank on me, they're going right to the top of the disciplinary committees list," he said, now in his 'SeeD Commander' demeanor. Rinoa laughed and hopped out of bed, daintily walking toward her man.

"Aww, look at you; all serious," she teased. She adjusted her posture to look as stiff as him and began to mimic him.

"That's not very becoming of a SeeD," she said in as low of a voice as she could. "How do they expect to make it on a battlefield when they don't even have common courtesy or decent manners?"

Squall folded his arms and looked away, trying to hide his amusement.

"…I'll give you _some_ credit. I've definitely said that before, but I don't sound like that."

"Aw, did I hurt the commander's feelings? I'm sorry, I was just teasing." She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Lighten up, I think we were in the middle of something just before some punk knocked on your door, right?" she said, wrapping her hands around his waist. Squall however, was more concerned with what she'd just said.

"So you think it's a prank, too?" he asked.

Rinoa immediately let go of him and sauntered back to the bed. He could get so caught up in his role as Commander that most of the time, when there was a spark of romance in the air for them to catch, he'd suddenly remember he had some paperwork to fill out, or that he needed to review some written tests. She knew it wasn't true, but when it seemed like the job came first, she felt like Squall was a million miles away. She _knew_ it wasn't true. He could never truly be a million miles away, not from her, and she felt the same way.

Squall was getting better at catching himself in these moments though and after a minute of looking at her, unsure of why she was upset, it dawned on him that he'd blown the moment.

"Oh Hyne, I'm sorry Rinoa," he said, disappointed in himself.

Tickled by his epiphany, she sighed overdramatically, and then flashed her confident trademark grin.

"It's okay, I know you don't mean to be a spoil-sport,"

Squall slumped over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Rinoa slid down and put her feet in his lap.

"Rub, please?" she asked. Annoyed, but charmed nonetheless, Squall began to rub her feet. If there was one thing he _had_ gotten good at, it was make-up massages. It had been her idea; whenever he ruined the mood, after a little tiff, he could cheer her up with a massage of her choosing. Not to take the romance out of it, but Rinoa knew he had studied how to do them _just right_ , so she almost didn't mind that they weren't doing something else instead.

There was silence as Squall transitioned to her other foot, and then something crossed his mind that he was hesitant to speak of. Rinoa could see it in his eyes and gulped in anticipation.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm alright, I guess. I'm still kinda unsure what to make of the whole thing. Have you seen Faust at all?"

"I visited him yesterday for a bit. It seems like he hasn't even been really affected by it, and his leg is almost completely healed. It's almost like it never even happened."

Faust was an up-and-coming gunblade specialist, and was one of the top students in Squall's class. He was to take the Fire Cavern exam soon, and asked Squall if they could go over some pointers in the training center before Quistis or another instructor would take him to obtain his first GF. As they practiced timing the trigger perfectly and using Draw to cast a monster's magic against it, Rinoa ran in unexpectedly. Coming down the left path, she spotted the two of them near the secret room. As she approached them, a T-Rexaur ran out from the trees behind her and went to attack. In just moments, Rinoa turned with her left hand extended, and bright blue light shot out from the palm of her hand, enveloping the monster. The sound of multiple Blizzagas, just one after another, could be heard from within the light. The monster was cut to shreds by long shards of ice that Rinoa had called upon seemingly out of nowhere. In a trance-like state, she proceeded to absolutely eviscerate the beast.

Squall and Faust ran to where they heard the commotion and she immediately responded to her Knight's presence. The moment she heard him she snapped back to reality and turned around, unaware she was in the midst of casting another spell. One final Blizzaga spawned and shattered on the floor. Just one shard and one shard only pierced Faust's left leg, and he screamed in agony as he fell over, blood pouring down the elongated icicle. They rushed him to the infirmary, hoping that if students saw them, they'd just think something went wrong during a training session. Since that was technically true, it wasn't too hard for Quistis, Xu, and Squall to put down the idea that Rinoa had hurt Faust in any way. To keep Faust and his family quiet about the whole thing, he was given a free pass for the semester, on the condition that he not tell a soul about the true nature of his injury.

The attention the news would draw about the new, young and inexperienced Sorceress had hurt someone with her powers would be a PR nightmare. Happening at Garden of all places, it would blow up into a huge scandal. It was already public knowledge that the SeeD Commander was the new Sorceress's Knight. Even though they were both responsible for saving the world from Ultimecia, the nations of the world had mixed feelings about it, given that the last Sorceress's Knight the world came to fear was _also_ from Garden—though he wasn't in Squall's standing, let alone even a SeeD.

Squall's status at Garden made things both easier and difficult. On the one hand, if anyone were to be the Sorceress's Knight and person to lean on, it should be the one man who had first hand experience in fighting and defeating one. He had the best chance to neutralize any kind of conflict. On the other hand, he was the one person who would be most effective in a fight against the Sorceress at all. Should she corrupt him, humanity would stand little to no chance. The press had a hard time conveying any kind of concrete reason to fear Rinoa though, due to her being the sweet and gentle woman she was. That helped smooth over a lot of concerns, too. They made more than a good couple; Squall and Rinoa were living proof that an active Sorceress and her Knight could live normal lives amongst the public...at least as long as what happened to Faust didn't become public knowledge.

Rinoa tilted her head to the side and looked at Squall, so very focused on giving her the best foot rub possible. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart bounced inside her chest, leaving her to fall back into her pillows and let out a peaceful, relaxed sigh.

"No tickling this time?" he asked, making sure he had done a good job.

"Spot on, Commander," she said with a wink.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Yes, you did a great-AH!" As of late, Squall had started surprising Rinoa with little bursts of spontaneity. Nothing too over the top, but little things like tickling her when she didn't expect it, or even initiating them holding hands in public, just made Rinoa feel like the most special person in the world. She knew she was the only person he ever showed that side of himself to, probably because she was the one who helped him find it. The fact they were becoming more frequent made her all the happier.

"Stop! Stop! It's too much!" she squealed. With Rinoa in better spirits, Squall slid up behind her, wrapping his arms around her before kissing the back of her neck.

"Let's pick up where we left off," he whispered. She turned around, elated to hear those words, and the two disappeared under the covers and into each other.

* * *

Unsure of how much time had passed, Rinoa snuggled deeper into Squall's chest and cooed.

"I'm always alright, Squall," she said without prompt.

He looked down and she tilted her head up towards him as he asked, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Earlier, when you asked if I was alright after what happened? I hadn't been at the moment, but you always bring me back to where I belong; where I'm happiest, safest."

Squall hugged her tightly and rested his chin on her head.

"Same here," he said quietly.

The moment was tender and pure, everything the two could ever want. Yet, somewhere in that peaceful state lingered a feeling of vulnerability neither of them wanted to address. This was now the third time Rinoa had lost control of her powers, and though it was combat related, the unpredictability of it all scared them.

The first time, while unjunctioned, Rinoa was staring into the eyes of one of the dolphin fountains in the main hall. Unsure when or how she did it, the marble in the fountains design crumbled away like it was nothing but a shell, revealing a living creature. It leapt from the fountain as a dolphin at first, but landed on the ground as four-legged hybrid of what _was_ a dolphin with what appeared to be the body of a basilisk. Luckily it had happened late at night; she was out for a stroll with Squall past curfew, and they quickly defeated the beast to no one's knowledge.

The second time was less bizarre, but far more dangerous. The gang was out having dinner together in Balamb on a private patio they'd treated themselves to, and the night was going great. No one at the table had known about the strange incident with the creature, and the two of them still weren't too sure if it had been Rinoa's powers or not. She would have had to will the thing into existence. She could never see herself doing that, so they were trying to write it off as some freak result of time compression. Or magic.

In other words, they were trying to write it off as something that _wasn't_ her powers—they just didn't know what to call it yet. When their food came fresh from the kitchen, Rinoa excused herself to the bathroom for a moment. When she returned, her already fair skin now had a yellow tint about it, and she seemed to be in a daze. The color was similar to that of someone under the effects of the Aura spell, but it was faded and weak…for a moment, anyway. Suddenly, her skin gleamed, the bright golden rays from the spell illuminating the area around showed no signs of yielding in terms of its brightness, and wings sprung from Rinoa's back, lifting her into the air. She began to cast a spell unknowingly, and Quistis sensed she was incanting something destructive. Squall grabbed hold of her legs and immediately, her wings disappeared and she fell into his arms, more dazed than before, and passed out shortly after.

The five of them circled around her to see if she was ok, until they suddenly had to cast Reflect on themselves to obstruct the incoming meteors. She had cast _Meteor_. They were in public, and people saw the stones fall from the sky. But they couldn't trace it to her, since the entire episode had occurred on a private patio obscured from the public eye. The press caught pictures of the phenomenon, but as far as Squall knew, there were no photos of Rinoa transforming and floating in the air. Their secret was out though, because even though they could trust their friends implicitly, they would be forced to tell the headmaster and Edea as well.

Since then, Edea had been talking with Rinoa frequently about the first two incidents, and had been very open and responsive to Rinoa's questions and fears. But after this last time, where now the whole Garden was suspicious of something, Rinoa had kept to herself. She turned Edea away, saying she wasn't comfortable talking about it just yet, and there was no sign of when she would feel "comfortable" talking about it with anyone but Squall.

In this moment and all the others like it, that seemed like the right choice to her. If that's what she wanted, she knew Squall would oblige in full. They lay together, holding each other as close as possible to make sure no one or nothing could ever separate them. This last incident had changed things, not just for them, but for everyone they'd come to know, trust, and love. They didn't know how to handle it, how to talk to their friends about it without panicking. They didn't know how to confront the possibility of Rinoa being consumed by her powers, what their next step was, or how to even begin to contemplate it, without panicking. They only knew they had each other, and in that, there was _no need_ to panic.

Only time.

They just needed more time…

* * *

 _So, looks like everyone's doing...well, they're alive lol. R &R if you feel so inclined; I'd love to know what you all think of the story so far :)_


	4. Trust

Chapter 3: Trust…

* * *

The nurse stopped to look over her chart and make sure she had the right room.

"Shiv, Faust; yep, this is the room. Although visiting hours are almost over, so you won't be able to stay long," she cautioned.

"We won't be long, just wanted to check up on him," replied Irvine.

Without disclosing too many details, Irvine and Selphie had told Quistis and Zell about the mission assigned to them. Having described it as nothing more than a particularly long escort mission, Quistis chalked her, Squall, and Xu being left out of the contract negotiations to Cid wanting them to focus their attention on dispelling any rumors circulating as to what had _really_ happened to Faust, and shut them down immediately. As much as Irvine wanted to tell them what had happened at his and Selphie's meeting with the Kramer's, he'd opted to hold his tongue, and the four were planning to have dinner at Ma Dincht's before the couple departed.

Selphie had thought it'd be in their best interest to visit Faust—the student who had been injured in the training center—while they were in town. It would be a good show of support and, as Quistis pointed out, a chance to see what conclusions Faust had drawn for himself about Rinoa, if any. Zell had told them not to bank on that latter point, and just focus on the visit. Irvine just wanted to get in and get out.

They entered the room and the boy was lying quietly in bed, watching TV. He couldn't have been older than twelve, maybe thirteen, but they'd heard from Squall that he showed great promise as a gunblade specialist. He was set to be one of the youngest students to take the Fire Cavern exam. Whether or not he'd go straight from that to a field exam was a whole different matter, as his momentum had waned a bit since the incident.

When he saw them, he immediately shut off the TV and turned his head, making his light blonde hair flop down over his forehead. They were the typical bangs a boy his age would sport, but they didn't hide the shine of his bright green eyes. This kid was going to be a looker, that was for sure. No one really knew what to make of how—his lanky build aside—Faust could pass for a young doppelganger of Seifer. It would only take a short conversation to see that the two were nothing alike. Faust was obedient, humble, and while quite aware of his skills, frequently turned down offers to train on the Alcauld Plains with other gunblade students out of fear of hurting them. Sometimes it came off as a way of being cocky, but as their chief instructor and Commander often pointed out, it was better to be safe than sorry. This would usually lead to Squall gesturing to the most blatant example of how he didn't think to do that one fateful day.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming," he said, an air of sedation hanging in his tone.

"Hey Faust! How're you feeling?!" exclaimed Selphie. The other three immediately shushed her, to which she rolled her eyes and pouted.

"I'm okay. My leg is almost completely healed. I know I'm getting the pass for the semester, but I _would_ like to return to training when I get back to Garden."

"We'll make that evaluation once the hospital releases you," replied Quistis. Faust nodded politely and noticed something was amiss.

"Where's Commander Squall and Rinoa?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. The four of them didn't know what to say other than "we don't know". They drew a collective blank, until Irvine just decided to wing it.

"You know the commander; always so busy with work. He sends his regards, of course."

"He hasn't come to visit me yet," continued Faust. "I know what we talked about in the infirmary and everything, but, I still would like to see him. He is my teacher, after all. I hope he briefs me when I take my field exam!" The innocence in his voice broke Quistis and Zell's hearts a little. Selphie went in and gave him a hug, as she was one to do.

"You're a great kid, you know that Faust?" she asked. Faust shrugged and gave a small smile in return.

"He hasn't come once?" asked Zell. Irvine tried to hide his cringing at that question.

 _Why, Dincht? Why would you feel the need to push anything regarding Squall any further?_

"Just when he brought me here, if that counts. I haven't seen Sorceress Rinoa either, although _that_ I kind of understand."

None of them ever called Rinoa ' _Sorceress Rinoa'._ To them, she was just Rinoa Heartilly: the sweet, excitable girl they'd saved the world with, and one of their best friends. The rest of the world however, had no problem bestowing the title upon her.

"Uh, you know, she's actually been on reprieve with Edea since the incident, Faust," said Irvine. The other three turned quickly faced Irvine; Quistis shooting daggers at him. Despite it being a boldfaced lie, it would steer the conversation away from Faust's questions, which he knew was for the best. Ignoring Quistis' contempt in his peripheral, Irvine continued.

"Edea used to be a sorceress, too. Managing that kind of power isn't easy, and only recently has the concept of a 'good sorceress' become more accepted among the public. I wouldn't read too much into their not coming to see you yet; you know how thorough Squall is. On top of his work he's been in constant contact with the two of them, staying up to date and doing whatever he can to further ensure this type of thing never happens again." Irvine realized he'd kind of trailed off and started telling snippets of truths, but Faust appeared to be buying his farce wholesale. Sure, he was a good kid, but being the wiser to what Irvine could come up with? Impossible.

"I understand," replied Faust.

"There you go. We just wanted to tell you how grateful we are for your cooperation through all of this. We're new to this, too, so every bit of support helps us a ton," Irvine finished.

Faust nodded and smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks for explaining that, Mr. Kinneas. Do you think there's any chance he'll come to see me before I'm discharged? My test results will be back in a few days and right after that I'll be free to either go home or back to Garden."

Irvine drew pause at the last part of Faust's sentence.

 _Test results? What test results? What kind of tests could the hospital be running on a kid with a wounded leg?_

Irvine couldn't make sense of it, but when he looked over at the others to search their expressions, Quistis' had quickly changed to concerned.

 _She knows something. Better not hold out on me later, Quisty._

"I think visiting hours are ending," said Faust. Yet another statement Irvine wasn't expecting to hear.

 _That's weird. Does he want us gone as much we don't want to be here?_

"Yeah, you should get all the rest you can, buddy," said Zell.

"Way to go, Faust! You're a real trooper," added Selphie.

"Thank you, Faust. I'll stop by again in the morning before I leave," Quistis assured. When it came to Irvine to say his goodbyes, he found himself with a dry mouth and feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Faust's nonchalant demeanor wasn't helping either. Something general would work; there was no need to be so sincere and direct all the time. He just wanted to get the hell out of there.

"Take care, kid." He was the first one to walk out of the room, despite being closest to Faust's bed. Once they all stepped into the hall, Quistis closed the door, and the real conversation began.

"On reprieve?" inquired Quistis, her glare returning tenfold.

"Well, we haven't seen her and quite frankly, until today, I haven't really seen Matron either. Have any of _you_?" he replied swiftly.

Zell put his hand under his chin as the cogs in his head started churning.

"Actually…no, I haven't."

"Not until today, with you," added Selphie.

"That's not the point. You told a blatant lie to a student that could be a huge liability for Garden, not to mention Squall and Rinoa!" Quistis interrupted.

"Shhh, keep your voice down!" warned Selphie.

Zell did a double take at Selphie telling someone _else_ to be quiet. He figured now might be a good time to leave.

"We should talk back at my place about this, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Irvine replied hastily. He saw an opportunity to get out of this place and seized it, walking ahead of Zell and straight out of the hospital.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The four of them sat around the dinner table in a silence fit for a typical awkward family dinner. Ma Dincht had turned in early for the night, so Zell did all of the cooking. To break the silence that had been occupied by the sounds of clashing silverware, Irvine started in.

"So, what kind of tests are they running on a kid with an injured leg?" he asked, indirectly posing the question to Quistis.

"Well, it was an ice shard, right? Maybe they thought it was dirty? They could be testing for an infection," answered Selphie.

"Don't they always run tests whenever you're in the hospital anyway? It's just them following basic medical protocol, right?" Zell piled on.

Quistis had yet to answer, or look up from her plate for that matter.

"It's your turn, Quisty…" pressured Irvine.

She sighed and dropped her fork onto her plate.

"We told them it was the result of a strong magic spell gone haywire. When something like that happens, doctors can run a test checking for...unusual bacteria developing within a wound."

"We've all been hurt by magic before, and none of us ever got one of those tests," Irvine retorted.

Quistis continued to speak without looking away from her food.

"It's a fairly new procedure, still in beta-testing. But, unusual after-effects of being injured by para-magic aren't unheard of. We junctioned GF's to protect us from status ailments and elemental properties of spells, as well the overall damage they could've caused us. We were never subjected to those tests because we never needed them. Faust, on the other hand, wasn't junctioned at all. This is standard procedure, Irvine, nothing to over-think or worry about." She stuck her fork into a piece of lettuce a little more forceful than necessary after her response.

"Then why'd you look so concerned when he mentioned them?" Irvine stuck his fork into a sizeable chunk of chicken breast in response. The tension grew thicker between them, and Zell, directing his disapproving eyes at Irvine, wasn't having any of it.

"Hey, take it easy man. She's just worried about her student, that's all. Right, Quistis?" She nodded, but her eyes were still fixated on her dinner. She was still avoiding any and all eye contact.

Selphie nudged Irvine's arm to get his attention.

"Why're you being such a meanie?" she asked. Frustrated that Zell and Selphie had essentially placed the blame on him for the painfully awkward atmosphere, Irvine abruptly stood up, took his plate to the sink and then made his way toward the door in one fluid motion.

"Irvy, where're you going?" asked a concerned Selphie.

"I'm heading back to the hotel; gonna read up on this guy we're picking up in Centra." He walked back toward the table to kiss Selphie on the cheek before addressing the group, but intending every word solely for Quistis.

"I know I lied to the kid about Squall and Rinoa, but let's not get our priorities mixed up here. We were all there for the Meteor incident, and the two of them don't know how many journalists and townspeople we had bribe into not saying anything. Squall was looking through the books for months to find out where all that money went. Now, we're telling a kid who not only saw one of these incidents, but actually got injured during it, to keep quiet by giving him a full pass for the semester and paying for his medical expenses? He could be in the infirmary with all of the other injured students who're limping around campus while their injuries heal up, but because of the nature of his injury, we're doing this instead.

"I'm glad he's going to be okay, but we can't so much as go near Squall and Rinoa's room because of what, our guilty consciences? Of course we haven't seen them; we've avoided them as much they've avoided us! They tried to hide after the Meteor incident, but we pulled them out. But with this, even Matron dropped off the map for a few days! Guys, something is going on that's bigger than we think, but no one's asking the questions that need to be asked. And the way you all glared at me in that hospital room today? You may as well have turned tail and run as I walked into battle alone."

"Irvine!" exclaimed Quistis, breaking her trepidation by standing up, outraged.

"Dude, that's not cool! We were just surprised!" added Zell.

"Irvy, don't do this! If you're gonna get mad at us about being surprised by something _you've_ also been doing—avoiding the two of them—then you're just a big hypocrite!" Selphie finished.

Irvine shook his head, once again feeling like he was getting nowhere by speaking his mind.

"I'm not mad at you for avoiding them. We're all upset about what happened, but no one's talking about it; it's like we're pretending it never happened! I know I sure as hell wish it didn't, but today I saw Matron dance around the subject no different than we have. She's the only other person who knows about the nature of this beast, and now even _she's_ not sure what to do!

"I'm not mad, I'm scared!"

The three of them looked at Irvine in shock. Even he was surprised by his own words. Those last two, "I'm scared," weren't meant to come out like that—or at all, rather. He just kept on with his tangent, and those feelings came to the surface. Holding the file in his hand, he remembered what the Headmaster and Edea had told him about its relevance to this situation, and the importance of keeping it a secret. With that in mind, he decided to wrap things up on a somewhat melancholy note.

"What's worse is that there are only four of us here right now. Don't you guys feel like ever since we got back, the two of them have been moving further away from us? I don't mean as a couple; that was bound to happen. But in terms of our friendships—they're pulling away. What should we do? Pull them back? If not, will letting nature take its course end up hurting us? I don't know, you guys, I really don't know."

Selphie moved a chair out of the way to walk toward him, but he quickly turned walked out the door. The three of them were left in the room, speechless.

"Hyne, he's right," said Zell.

"You think so?" asked Selphie.

"One hundred percent," answered Quistis. "I'm not sure what do, or expect from Rinoa after this…but it scares me that I can't think of a good outcome," she continued.

"Matron couldn't even handle these powers; why are we banking on Rinoa of all people to handle the pressure?" asked Zell.

"Matron was possessed, though!" Selphie insisted, "She didn't have any control!"

"Apparently neither does Rinoa, and so far there's no sign of someone else pulling at her strings, is there?" retorted Quistis.

Zell got up from the table with his plate. He placed it in the sink and started upstairs.

"Quistis, the guest room is set up for you if you don't wanna head back tonight. Selphie, be safe on your trip with Irvine."

"Heeey, where are you going? Don't leave us, too!" pleaded Selphie, growing anxious as she watched the rift between her friends widen further.

"I'm not 'leaving you guys', I'm just really tired. All of this has got me bugged out—not to mention the work I've been doing to fix up the training center." He stepped back into the room, out of the staircase.

"When I get back to the garden, I'm going to see the two of them. Me and Squall were gonna get his ring fixed up anyway; we made that a plan before this happened, and I'm gonna follow through with it. I'll offer to get the copy I made for Rinoa fixed too, if she needs it. I'm gonna do my part and reach out to them. Selphie, will you and Irvine do the same when you get back?"

Selphie nodded eagerly, her energy returning in an instant.

"Quistis?" he asked.

The Head Instructor hesitated—not a good sign. Selphie stopped in her tracks and looked at Quistis with disappointment when she still hadn't answered. Eventually, she stood and looked Zell in the eyes, finally making eye contact with someone.

"I'm going to seek out Matron and Cid first. I want to find out what they were up to while we were left to take care of the Garden. I'll be the brains, and do my part to help."

Assured, Zell nodded to his comrade. His low key response was short-lived, and he quickly threw his fists up in the air.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" he yelled triumphantly.

"Wait, you guys made cool nicknames? I want one, what does that make me? I'm gonna go see them too! What does that make me?" Selphie piped up and asked.

Quistis turned endearingly toward Selphie and put her hand on her shoulder. She and Zell had never consulted a chart of the human body to decide what Selphie and Irvine were in their running joke, but she felt she had an answer as good as any.

"You're Selphie. We need you to be you and never stop, not even for a second. Think you're up for it, Sefie?" asked Quistis, now showing a tired, but encouraging smile.

There were times it seemed like Selphie and Zell were in a competition to see who could be more outrageously energetic. If their excitement in that moment could be measured in explosives, Zell would've been a pile of dynamite, while Selphie would've been an atomic bomb.

"CAN I DO THAT?!" Leaping into the air, too excited to actually answer the question, she came down on Quistis with, of course, a bear hug. She was 5'1; no one understood how she could do this _all the time_. They both fell onto the floor laughing, and Zell began dancing around the room victoriously.

"Okay, so we're all set, then! I thought I was going to bed, but I'm gonna go lay into my punching bag to get some of this energy out, baby! Quistis, you start working on your plan, and Selphie, go…Selphie Irvine!"

"I'm gonna Selphie the crap out of Irvine!" she exclaimed, still on top of Quistis.

"You're Selphie-ing the crap out of me right now," she half joked to the tiny lightning bolt masquerading as a brunette.

Selphie leapt up and skipped out of the house, blowing a kiss to them both as she hopped away into the night.

"I'm taking full credit for this one. You know that, right?" said Zell.

"Okay, brawns got the job done today, absolutely. Now can you help me up?"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The folder lay open with papers strewn across the table in Irvine and Selphie's hotel room. Irvine was pouring himself a glass of water, muttering curses under his breath in frustration. He was halfway through the information he'd been given—about twenty-five of the fifty-and change pages—and knew almost nothing about the man waiting for them in Centra. He picked up the pile of papers he'd already read, looking over the front page again, hoping to find something he may have missed. The only thing of worth that he'd found was that the man had briefly stayed in Winhill a little less than twenty years ago. By brief, he meant an hour tops. That was the _only_ piece of information he'd found that wasn't a part of the twenty-page contract he'd made with Garden.

He'd read page after page about nothing but breaches of privacy and the client's need to be protected at all times. Irvine's name was mentioned several times as being the one to provide the service, but he had no idea why. From the look of it, some of the times he'd been mentioned weren't by Cid's accord.

 _Does this guy know who I am?_

The other thing Irvine had found was a police report; a missing persons report to be exact. Someone had come looking for him the next day, and the person who'd confirmed his being there was a four-year-old girl named Ellone.

 _Sis_.

No exact timeframe was given as to _when_ he was there, but it had to have been when Ellone was still living with Laguna and Raine, perhaps even when Raine was pregnant with Squall.

What further frustrated Irvine was that although he had a missing persons report in his hand, there wasn't a single mention of the man's name. Just Ellone saying that someone had been there the night before, paired with a note about how Raine pulled her back inside and asked the police to leave.

 _Why was she paranoid?_

 _Maybe she thought it was a trick by Esthar soldiers to try and kidnap Ellone again_...

 _So, this man was a friend of Raine's? Was he on the run from someone? How the hell did he know Raine, of all people?_

The name of the person who filed the missing persons report made things all the more confusing; GoGo. It had to have been an alias of some kind, but who the hell picks GoGo as their alias? As directionless as this information was, it was the only thing Irvine had to assure him, just slightly, that he and Selphie weren't walking into something dangerous.

It was the only thing he had, but it wasn't enough.

"How is there no name in a missing persons report?" he wondered aloud. "Did they even know who they were looking for?"

He sat back down and started to look through the papers he'd yet to read. At random, he picked up the last page of the contract, which just had several disclaimers and footnotes to protect Garden should anything go wrong during Irvine and Selphie's travels. Irvine threw that paper onto what he'd now deemed the "useless crap" pile, but drew pause when he took notice of the next page.

 _A transcript?_

There were twenty-four pages of dialogue that had been exchanged between Edea and this man. It appeared Cid occasionally took part as well. This was highly unusual; things like this only appeared when escort missions were for people who were highly suspect, potential threats to those dispatched, or to the Garden's safety in general. The transcript however, read like a bad job interview, and of course, to Irvine's continued frustration, not _once_ did either party speak his damn name.

 _Edea: How long have you been back for?_

 _Client: I believe about five months or so. Now that I can relatively tell time again, I noted a change in the seasons that would indicate I've been here for that long._

The wheels in his head started spinning.

 _What the hell? Who talks like that?_

 _And back from where?_

"Who the hell are you?" he wondered aloud again. The transcript went on.

 _Edea: How does it feel? Has the adjustment been easy for you?_

 _Client: Yes, actually. It's like old times, and it's nice to see the orphanage as it was so long ago. Puts some things into perspective from when I lived here._

"What, from when _he_ lived there? And, 'so long ago?' Did the orphanage used to be in shambles before we lived there as kids, restored, then reduced to bits again? How old is this frickin' guy?" he mumbled to himself.

Just then the door burst open. Without a second thought, Irvine pulled Exeter out of his jacket before he saw the tiny doe-eyed brunette standing in the doorway.

"I know you were gonna shoot me, and that would've been a total bummer, but, damn you're fast!"

Irvine quickly put the gun away and hurried over to her.

"I'm so sorry, Selphie! I didn't know it was you, I would never…"

"Relaaax Irvy. I know you wouldn't do anything like that. But, you should know that there's a distinct difference between _my_ barging through a door and anyone else's."

There wasn't, but Irvine played along.

"Can you explain that, then? Just so I never make that mistake again. Hyne forbid I didn't see you quick enough and—"

"Don't even, cowboy. Just take a seat, and I'll show you the difference, okay?"

Irvine rubbed his eyes and sat back down; already exhausted from going through the paperwork so diligently. Now that Selphie was here, as much as he loved her, he didn't think he had it in him to keep up with her right now.

"Ok, so here's mine," she said, closing the door. The door swung back open immediately, and she stood in the doorway with her arms up in the air and a big smile on her face.

"And the other?" asked Irvine, amused.

"Heeey, pay attention, Irvy. This is what you've got to look for when someone bursts into a room you're in." Irvine just stared at Selphie and saw, well, Selphie. It was great, but what was he supposed to be looking for, exactly? What was the cue for him to pull or not to pull out his gun?

"So if the person who bursts through the door _isn't_ you, lock and load?" he asked. Selphie pouted and closed the door again.

"Let's try again," her muffled voice said from the other side. Irvine sighed and slid down into his chair. He couldn't lie to Selphie, so at one point he was either going to have to tell her he had no idea what he was looking for, or maybe he'd catch something and actually know what she was getting at.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready," he replied.

 _BOOM!_

The door burst open again, this time hitting the wall, and Selphie wasn't in her usual cheerleader-esque position.

"So…every time you do this, your hands will be up in the air and I'll see those pearly whites of yours?"

"Every. Time."

Irvine chuckled and tipped his hat.

"Gotcha. If someone bursts through the door and isn't striking a pose, I need to be ready for anything."

Selphie nodded and skipped over to him. She plopped down in his lap, all one hundred pounds of her resting directly on Irvine's right thigh.

"Whatcha readin'?" she asked cutely, noticing he winced when she sat down. Hopefully her tone would take his attention off of her using him as a seat, especially since she had no intention of getting back up.

"Crap, as of now," he replied. He picked up the transcripts and handed them to Selphie. She flipped through the pages one after another, her nose almost touching the papers as her eyes darted along the lines.

 _Right, she's a speed-reader_.

She placed the papers in a neat pile on the desk, right next to the ones Irvine had already read.

"You're right, that is crap. Why'd they give you twenty-four pages of them essentially talking about the weather?" she asked.

"You didn't happen to catch a name in there, did you? I only made it through the first page."

"Nope, they never say his name. Matron said something about really hoping that 'this would work,' I'm guess that's referring to how he's supposed to help Rinoa." Irvine didn't bother to pick the papers back up to look for that exchange; it was already something he knew.

"You see the part about him having used to live there?" he asked.

"Yeah, that was weird. But, I guess someone had to have built the place before we got there, right?" she asked.

Irvine shrugged, but that actually made sense. This guy could just be on the older side, maybe older than Cid and Edea. Maybe he had knowledge of sorcery that would serve useful to them; although it seemed odd that he wouldn't have used this back when Edea was the Sorceress. Then again, they _had_ said he'd been away for a long time, but where had he been that he would've completely missed the Sorceress War, let alone time compression? The world was trapped in a paradoxical state for what probably felt like forever to those not fighting Ultimecia. Was this guy was completely unaffected?

 _That's just impossible._

"Hey, I know Rinoa's back at Balamb, but I'll get that duster if you don't get out of your head ASAP!" commanded Selphie. Irvine snapped back to attention and leaned back in exhaustion.

"Sorry. You know how I feel, though." He motioned for her to get up and instead, she leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek, as opposed to saying no.

"Seriously, I need to use the bathroom," he said.

"You know no one at the house is mad at you, right?" she asked him.

 _The bathroom can wait._

"Oh?" he replied.

"You kind of brought to the surface what we were all thinking. I mean, I wasn't worrying about it too much, but Zell and Quisty were in their own ways. Before I left, we all rallied together and decided that we're going to reach out to Squall and Rinoa and try to reel em back in! No one can do this alone, and we're gonna bring the group back together stronger than ever!" she shouted triumphantly. Irvine's expression didn't mirror her enthusiasm.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Everyone's happy! You did a good thing back there," she said, rubbing his hand. He couldn't help but give her a small, albeit very tired smile.

"Sorry, this whole thing has got me—well, you know," he said. Selphie then got up and Irvine started toward the bathroom.

"Why wouldn't he visit Faust?" he asked, turning back to her.

Selphie's eyes lit up as an answer popped into her head.

"Heeey, your little lie may've actually been true! Squall's duty is to protect the Sorceress. Staying by her side is him doing his job, right?"

Irvine agreed, but still didn't share her enthusiasm.

"That's what scares me," he said, looking away.

Selphie walked over to Irvine and took his hand again.

"We're gonna fix it. Everything will be okay, you'll see. In fact, you're gonna play a major part in it all, bringing this guy here to help Rinoa, right?"

Irvine's effort to keep up with Selphie's relentless optimism was draining him further. The distraction from the fears he'd shared earlier might be him letting his guard down. But, maybe it was the best way to keep his head clear, if only for a moment. That way he could focus on the mission at hand _now_ , and be able to tackle what comes next with his all.

"So, you think Zell and Quistis are gonna be able to bring Squall and Rinoa out of their shell?" he asked her. Selphie nodded her head excitedly, making her hair bop up and down on the sides of her head.

"Oh, Irvy, you should've seen it. We were like kids all over again; it was so fun! I even got Quistis to laugh after I gave her an aerial bear hug!"

Selphie kept a list of how she classified particular types of hugs. Everyone who'd ever received one would all classify them as overwhelming, or maybe terrifying, but Irvine had gotten used to, and even come to enjoy most of them. The aerial bear hug however, was the Ultima of hugs. Part of him was waiting to hear if Quistis had regained consciousness at the hospital.

"You gave her one of _those_? Those are a lot for even me to handle, Selph."

"I know, I know. That's why I'm saving your next one for when you're in better spirits. How about we wash up and then head for the train, huh? We can sleep until we make it to FH tomorrow."

Irvine looked at the clock; they had half an hour to catch their train.

"Yeah, let's get a move on," he said, and made his way into the bathroom.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The following morning, Zell and Quistis arrived at Garden's front gate together. They gazed up at its facade; preparing to embark on their journeys to get to the bottom of things with Squall and Rinoa.

"So, I'm gonna grab Squall so we can get that ring fixed. You know where to find Matron?" he asked Quistis.

"Well, I know where to find Cid. I'll start at his office and go from there. Xu might have a clue, too."

"Alright! Let's do this!" He threw his hand in the air for a high five. Quistis timidly raised her hand, only to have it smacked down by Zell.

"Ow! What the hell was that?!" she yelled, holding her hand gently like a wounded animal.

"That was friendship, baby!" He darted away, hands in his back pockets—the weird way he ran when he was excited. Quistis slowly followed, nursing the hand that had experienced so much "friendship".

Zell made his way to the dorms. Gallivanting through the halls, he finally came across the Commander's room, and gave a hearty knock. There was no answer. He shrugged and tried again.

"Just a minute!" shouted Squall from the other side of the door.

 _Yes! He's there! Piece of cake!_

The door opened, and a very irritated Squall peered his head out through the crack. Once he saw it was Zell, his expression loosened up a little.

"Oh, it's just you. For a minute I thought you were whoever's been knocking on my door and then running away when I answer it."

"Someone's been pranking the Commander? That kid is gonna spend the rest of the year in the disciplinary room!"

Squall nodded and then there was silence.

"So...can I help you?" he asked, finally.

"Dude, weren't we gonna get your ring fixed up at the junk shop in Balamb? That's my guy that runs the place, you know? We can probably get a good deal, even for a ring like that!"

Squall quickly remembered and slightly lightened up.

"Oh, that's right. I actually thought of that the other day. Wait out here."

Squall closed the door and Zell heard another voice from the other side. It had to have been Rinoa he was talking to. The door opened again, and she popped her head out with a smile.

"There she is!" Zell's shoulders pushed the door open and he gave her a tight hug. She tried to return the embrace, but was having a little trouble breathing.

"Zell, she's turning purple," Squall droned.

"Oh, sorry!" Zell put her back down on the ground and smiled at his friend.

"Hi Zell," she said warmly. There was a hint of mischief in her grin, and Zell grew playfully cautious.

"What?" he asked. It was then that he realized Rinoa was wearing a big white t-shirt and hopefully, a pair of underwear. Blood rushed to Zell's cheeks, and he jumped to slam the door shut.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Standing out in the hallway trying to quell his fears of Squall decapitating him with his gunblade, he could hear Rinoa laughing on the other side of the door.

Zell was red with embarrassment. Seeing his friend's girlfriend in her underwear?

 _That's gotta be some kind of violation of the bro code._

 _Wait, does Squall even know about bro code?_

If he did, that'd be way out of character. He'd had to have watched television or, Hyne forbid, talk to someone outside of their circle. The door opened again and this time only Squall came out, holding both his and Rinoa's Griever rings.

"I'll let the underwear thing slide if you can get 'your guy' to fix both," he said.

That was a better response than Zell was expecting, but Squall's lack of a smile still made the moment uncomfortable. He should've been used to Squall being that way all the time, and probably thankful that after bursting into his room and seeing his girlfriend almost naked, that he wasn't raging mad. Zell tried to put a spring back in his step and took the rings from Squall.

"You got it! I'll get the deal for sure."

"You better," Squall replied, showing no signs that wasn't a threat.

The two walked out of the dorms and immediately, students turned to salute the Commander.

"Sir!"

"Cadet."

"Sir!"

"Cadet."

"Sir!"

"Cadet."

Each acknowledgement of Squall came with a firm SeeD salute, and he returned each one, albeit in a calmer voice than those of the Garden Students.

"That probably never gets old, does it?" asked Zell cheekily.

"I like that things are getting to how they were before the war. I'm not aiming to make us like G-Garden, but respect for those in charge is going to be a must in the new SeeD," replied Squall.

"The _new_ SeeD?" asked Zell.

Squall nodded.

"It's something Cid and I have been discussing. Now that we're in peacetime, he thinks we should expand on the humanitarian aspect of SeeD. We'd take jobs helping rebuild homes in small towns; hold monthly food drives for the needy, stuff like that. I'm okay with that idea, but I don't want to scale back on our combat training, either. It's too vital for when the inevitable happens; this country is at war with that country, or a swell of monsters invades some town, and so on.

"We've been looking at ways to move the budget around; the humanitarian jobs won't bring in as much money as our combat missions did, mostly because we won't charge even half as much to do them. This might mean some of these departments being scaled down. I, for one, could live with a smaller parking lot; maybe dedicate early hours to cooking and first aid classes in the infirmary and cafeteria. We could probably do something with the quad, too, but I—"

"Hey, slow the hell down, man!" interrupted Zell. Squall abruptly stopped walking and scowled at him for breaking his train of thought.

"It all sounds great, really. But, we're going to get yours and Rinoa's rings fixed. Forget about the job for now, huh?"

Squall folded his arms over his chest and turned his head away. Normally, this would've meant that they weren't going to Balamb anymore, but Squall had learned not to pull away whenever someone, or something irritated him; to not let it take such a hold of him. Begrudgingly, he continued to walk along the halls with his friend. Zell liked the changes he was making; small as they were; he was opening up a little.

"I didn't mean to bust your chops, I just wanted to take a walk with my buddy down to the store and relax. Don't tell me you aren't kind of excited to be getting this taken care of; I know how you and Rinoa feel about these rings."

Squall turned his head back and let out a very, _very_ subtle side smile.

"Yeah…"

That was more then he would have ever done or said before, so that was good enough for Zell. Now it was time to take the conversation in a different direction.

"While we're down there, let's pay a visit to Faust."

Squall shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"Ok, but I just saw him the other day. His leg is almost completely healed; pretty remarkable considering the injury."

Zell was the one who stopped walking this time. Squall turned and looked back at him with a puzzled look.

"What?" he asked.

"You saw him the other day?" asked Zell, trying to mask his shock.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

Obviously, his attempt at disguising his emotions didn't work.

"Is it that shocking that I showed some kind of compassion? Sometimes I think you all thought I was heartless before I met Rinoa." Squall scratched the back of his head, a little uncomfortable with having revealed a concern regarding what others thought of him. Zell stepped in to quell his nerves.

"Hey man, I never thought you were heartless. I don't think anyone did. But, that's not what I'm talking about. I visited Faust with the others yesterday, and he said you hadn't come to see him."

Squall narrowed his eyes, trying to see if Zell was messing with him.

"I'm not messing with you," the martial artist reassured. Zell knew that look like the back of his own hand.

"That's...weird. The few times I've left my desk was either to see him, or to pick up food from the cafeteria for Rinoa and I."

"You visited him more than once?" he further inquired, loudly at that. Squall could tell he was beginning to get worked up and motioned for him to calm down.

"Yes," he replied simply.

Zell shook his head and stared off into space for a moment. The few gears he had to churn in his head were going full throttle. Did Faust lie? Why would he lie about Squall coming to see him? That didn't seem like him at all. This didn't make any sense.

Squall watched his friend as he stood there, lost in his thoughts, and commented on the sight.

"I see one of my habits rubbed off on everyone. If Rinoa were here you'd get an earful."

Zell snapped back to reality and laughed.

"You know, as much crap as we gave you for it, taking a second to evaluate the moment is pretty damn helpful. You were onto something with that. If you only you had frickin' told us _that's_ what you were actually doing, instead of leaving us in the dark and blatantly ignoring us."

Squall gave a muffled chuckle and turned back towards the exit.

"Look, maybe he was just tired. Aren't they running those new magic tests on him?"

"You know about those, too?"

"I have to stay up to date on medical procedures that might be used on our students. I know they're fairly new and haven't reported any kind of negative side effects, but maybe they can put you out a little; make you a little forgetful for a bit after they're done."

Zell remembered that Faust _had_ looked pretty out of it when they visited. He didn't want to think about it anymore; there was already too much going on that they weren't sure how to handle yet. He just had to stay focused and keep Squall engaged.

"You're probably right" he replied.

 _Okay, now time for the next topic we need to talk about. Easy does it, Zell._

"How's Rinoa doing?" he asked.

Squall didn't answer right away. He looked down for a minute to gather his thoughts, and then, after clearing his throat, reluctantly answered.

"She's feeling alright. Physically she hasn't shown any signs of…change, I guess is one way to put it."

Zell nodded and gave a relieved smile.

"That's good, right? Has she been talking with Matron? We hadn't seen either of them so we figured they were—"

"No, she hasn't."

"Oh…" Zell knew that was the answer, but to find out what had been going on, he needed to confirm what _hadn't_ been going on too.

"Just been with you?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Squall was starting to pull back, so Zell had to be careful in his attempts to keep the conversation going.

"Man, you're really her rock, huh?"

Squall looked down at his feet and smiled. That was apparently the entirety of his answer, so Zell needed to find another way to get Squall to actually talk.

"So if Matron hasn't been with Rinoa, where's _she_ been? Was she ever in the meetings with you and Cid?"

"Matron's been kind of MIA as well, actually. Rinoa wasn't ready to talk about it with her. I don't think Matron really wanted to either, though," Squall replied.

That surprised Zell. Since when did their Matron not want to help?

"What makes you say that?" he asked cautiously.

Squall shrugged and looked off to his right before asking,

"Can we not talk about this anymore?"

 _Damn it! Well,_ _at least they're doing ok, I guess._

Maybe after they grabbed some Balamb fish, Squall would open up on the way back.

Maybe…

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Quistis knocked once again on Headmaster Cid's door.

"Headmaster? It's Quistis. Do you have a minute?"

The door opened and Xu stepped out, quickly closing it behind her.

"Oh, hey Xu. Is everything alright?"

Xu shook her head.

"The headmaster and Edea are arguing over something. I was just reviewing the budget, when the mention of some Centra mission came up. Cid said our compensation from that would help us get out of the red; paying for Faust's medical care in Balamb is not cheap."

 _Centra mission? The one Irvine and Selphie are on?_

Quistis didn't want to appear like she knew anything, so she played dumb, contrary to her title as "The Brains."

"What Centra mission?"

"I don't know. But, when Cid mentioned it, Edea stormed in really mad that he'd brought it up. I guess I wasn't supposed to know about it? I'm actually relieved you came; even though they moved the argument to the bedroom they had put in, I could hear every word. Did you know Irvine and Selphie were assigned to it?"

"I knew they had to take a train to FH, but I figured it was diplomatic—or something of the like—and that Selphie and Irvine would charm Mayor Dobe into making a donation." The Brains knew how to lie.

"Oh, so they didn't go into detail about it with you?"

"No, not really. I guess they're taking a boat out from there to Centra?"

"Not just any boat. Apparently when they get there, the White SeeDs are picking them up."

"The White SeeDs?!" Quistis exclaimed.

That actually surprised her. If the White SeeDs were willing to come out of hiding and let themselves be out in the open just to pick up Selphie and Irvine, this mission had much more weight to it.

"Apparently they don't know; Selphie and Irvine. I guess the change was made last minute, but then they started arguing about whether or not they should stay here with us for a while. Edea was staunchly against it, but Cid kept pushing for it, saying something about taking 'every precaution necessary, short of the bangle'."

There's only one bangle he could've been referring to—the Odine Bangle. Were they discussing the idea of having Rinoa wear one? To Quistis, that didn't seem all that bad of an idea, actually, if it could ensure Rinoa would be safe from losing control of her powers again. But there was no way she would go for it. If Rinoa was going to live her life in peace amongst the people, she was going to live it _her_ way, and not wear some dog collar to keep track of her. Quistis went to push for a little more information before deciding whether to leave or not.

"So, Cid mentioned a bangle, and then what?"

"We really shouldn't be gossiping like this, Q," replied Xu.

She was right, but Quistis needed answers. Unfortunately, it sounded like pushing for more information wouldn't get her anywhere short of trouble.

"That _is_ weird. I wonder what it could be about?" said Quistis, trying to bait Xu to voluntarily give up more information.

"Oh, come on, Quistis. It's obviously about what happened last week with Rinoa. I don't know what Centra has to do with any of it, but the White SeeDs are Edea's SeeDs, and are trained for the same purpose we are."

"They served more as a protectorate for her, I thought. Monitoring her from a distance, or at least anyone she was pursuing. I don't know how skilled they are in combat."

"Oh, those SeeDs are something else! Remember when I told you about how they jumped all the way from their ship onto ours? One effortless leap and they had cleared probably thirty feet. They're springy, like frickin' ninjas!" she exclaimed, moving her hands in a chopping motion.

"Ok, ok, I get it, Xu. I don't think the Headmaster and Edea are jumping that far ahead, though, do you?"

"Maybe not Edea, but the Headmaster…I don't know. I guess we'll see when Irvine and Selphie get back."

Quistis nodded and folded her arms.

"I guess so…well, maybe I'll try back later, then. Where are you going to be around 18:00 or so?"

"Probably getting the inventory ready, depending on how late these two hold me up," she chuckled.

"OK, I'll see you later then."

Quistis stepped into the elevator and headed for the first floor. If she couldn't talk to Edea about Rinoa, the only option was talking to Rinoa herself. She took in a deep breath, and then headed for the dorms. Walking down the path Zell had gone to fetch Squall, Quistis knocked on the Commander's door, expecting to hear nothing on the first knock. Instead, to her surprise, Rinoa opened the door right away, wearing a big white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Oh! Rinoa…hi!" Quistis wasn't scared. She was legitimately surprised by the fact that there was any kind of response to her knocking. Rinoa, on the other hand, seemed to regret having opened it.

"Hey Quistis…sorry, did I startle you?"

"No, Squall just never opens the door on the first knock. I think my record is four tries until he finally opened it and shot me his usual glare," she joked.

"Oh! You mean this one?" Rinoa turned around and then quickly turned her head over her shoulder, showing Quistis her best "angry Squall" impersonation.

"Yes! That's it!" shouted Quistis. They shared a laugh, and Rinoa stepped into the hall to give Quistis a hug.

"Come in. Squall went with Zell to get our rings fixed up, so I've been holed up in here for the past hour."

Quistis stepped into the room and took in the cute mix of Squall and Rinoa's personalities displayed in every corner of it. Everything was organized to a T; even the small rug in the middle of the room was symmetrical to the walls. But, it was salmon colored. Squall definitely compromised when Rinoa wanted a pink one, Quistis thought.

The area where people took their shoes off was impeccable. Various pairs of boots were stacked neatly on top of a baby-blue mat that read, "The floor won't bite!" That one was entirely Rinoa. Quistis kicked off her boots and looked at Rinoa for approval.

"I think he'll actually enjoy organizing them," Rinoa laughed. Quistis sat at Squall's desk but Rinoa patted the bed, insisting she come sit next to her.

 _I'm actually more comfortable by the desk, but she might not think so._

 _I'm already in; I better go over there_.

The Brains moved over to the bed and dove right in.

"You looked unhappy to see me when you opened the door. Is it because you were expecting Squall?" Quistis asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"No, I figured he'd be a while. Him and Zell are bound to get into some kind of dopey argument. I was-I mean, I thought you were startled because of…"

"Oh, no! Absolutely not, Rinoa!"

"I know, I know. It's just me. Still dealing with...it, you know?" She pulled her knees toward her chest, and her hair swayed with her as she rocked back and forth.

Quistis noticed that Rinoa's highlights were more faded than usual. More curious, her eyebrows seemed a bit thinner than usual. This was hardly the time to take notice of such things, but her eyebrows helped shape her face so well. And Rinoa's upkeep of her hair was impeccable. Even without them, she still looked so innocent; just a little girl who felt she'd lost her way. Quistis was the Brains, sure, but as Zell had pointed out, Rinoa was part of the heart, and right now the heart was troubled.

"We haven't seen you since it happened, Rin," Quistis started quietly. Rinoa didn't respond.

"I've wanted to say so much to you…not just since last week, but since Balamb, too," the Head Instructor continued.

"Quistis, please." Tears were beginning to well up in Rinoa's eyes.

Quistis always wondered what she and Matron would talk about for hours in Cid's office. Maybe they didn't talk at all. Maybe Rinoa just sobbed and Matron held her like only she knew how. Could Quistis do that for Rinoa? _Should_ Quistis do that for Rinoa? Maybe that was Matron's place in the group's dynamic, but Quistis wasn't afraid to confront hard truths. Well, she was afraid, but she wasn't a coward.

"We don't have to talk about it now, and we all know Squall is there for you no matter what—but, so are we. We think about you all the time and when you two aren't around. We know you're off somewhere being adorable together, we just admire your connection and wish we saw you more. Just so we could watch it; watch your love that is so truly one of a kind," Quistis soothed.

Rinoa threw herself into the Blue Mage's arms, pulled her close, and began to weep. Not prepared for the sudden outburst of emotion, Quistis realized she'd been holding back some tears herself, and tears quietly slide down her cheeks while rocking Rinoa back and forth. Her silence was so that Rinoa wouldn't worry about her; if she knew Quistis was crying too, she'd immediately pull away and try to reverse the roles in their embrace.

"Quistis, what am I going to do?!" she cried into her chest. Quistis sniffled a bit and just kept rocking her back and forth like a baby who needed comforting.

The poor girl continued. "I can't control it! It's so dangerous—it's so, so dangerous, and I _can't_ control it! If anything happens, it'll be all my fault! I'll be responsible for something I have no control over! Why? Why did this have to happen to me?!"

She was questioning the entire second half of their journey together. The event that made Squall realize what he may've lost had she stayed in that coma. The very thing that may've set their love in motion and brought him to his senses to chase after her and never let her go, the thing she had wanted so badly, she now spoke of with regret.

 _This is worst than I thought._

"Rinoa, I don't know. I really don't know what to say."

Rinoa kept sobbing, her throat beginning to dry up from the constant hiccupping and attempts to catch her breath.

"Let me get you some water, Rin."

Rinoa pulled away for a second, and held out her left hand.

"There's…no need." Rinoa choked back her tears and started to focus intently on the palm of her hand. Shards of glass materialized out of thin air in the shape of a small cup, and water began to fill it from the bottom until it came close to the brim. Rinoa drank the water out of the glass, and then placed it on her nightstand. Quistis was speechless.

"Edea taught me that. She said she used to be able to conjure things up from her thoughts and then could will them into existence. Faust has no idea that I sutured the back of his leg when I first got a look at it in the infirmary. Squall doesn't know either. It's the reason he's made such a 'miraculous' recovery, because I sped up the process by just willing it to be."

Rinoa turned to look at her friend and gauge her response. Quistis' mouth was open, but she couldn't formulate any type of response. Rinoa didn't like the look on her face, thinking she had upset her friend, and started crying into her hands again. Quistis snapped out of her trance and immediately wrapped herself around Rinoa.

"Rin, wait, look at me!" urged Quistis. A puffy eyed Rinoa slowly looked up and saw Quistis glowing; her smile preventing her own tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"Rin, you _can_ control your powers, and you can use them for good! This is incredible! Do you know what this means? These incidents that are happening; all we need to do is figure out what's causing them, what gets in your way of being in control, and you'll be okay! You'll be more than okay, you'll be wonderful!"

She was starting to sound a bit like Selphie, but even Selphie's energy couldn't have made the message stick. Rinoa's eyes welled up again, but instead of letting loose another batch of tears, she attempted to talk to Quistis.

"Quistis…when it happens…when I lose control…something else happens first." Quistis' eyes grew wide, not sure if she wanted to hear what was coming next.

"At Balamb that night, when I excused myself to the bathroom, I went to go splash some water on my face because I was starting to feel a little warm. I looked into the mirror, and at first I just saw my reflection and the room behind me. But, then a misshapen throne faded into view in the mirror. I turned to see what was there and suddenly, I was in another world, looking in from the outside.

"There was a flight of stairs that led to a throne where a woman who bore white angel wings sat with one leg over the armrest, just lounging in it. A man was kneeling before her, and he was begging her for something. I couldn't hear anything that was happening, but the woman on the throne seemed amused. She lifted up her finger toward the man. He flew into the air, seemingly hanging by something that pulled at the front his shirt. Then, she made her hand into a fist, and he…"

Quistis was horrified, but needed to know what happened to the man.

"…He'd been flailing about, but then suddenly stopped. His mouth was wide open and his head hung back limp. She released her grip, and he fell onto the floor like a puppet cut from its strings. I don't know how, but I knew she had crushed his heart from inside his chest. It didn't even faze her, and she turned her attention to the hand she'd used to kill him and began filing her nails. That's it, she murdered a desperate man, and then went and filed her nails like she had just taken out the trash."

"Rinoa…what?"

"And then," Rinoa continued, her voice beginning to sound manic, excited even.

"The third time, I was in here, practicing that spell you just saw with the water. I was working on honing my powers to will things into existence, nice things. I think I was working on a bouquet of flowers to surprise Squall. He'd never want flowers, but I wanted to see his reaction for fun. I was deciding between different types of ribbons for the bouquet, when the room melted around me, and I was back in that throne room.

"I could see more this time. I was in a cavern of some kind. The throne actually sat upon the top of a hill where stairs had been carved into the rock. There was a path that led up to it, and it was surrounded by…I'm not sure, some type of raw, unwavering energy. It pulsated like a beating heart, and changed colors at random. The woman was sitting on the throne the same way she had been before, but this time a man walked down the path and dragged a child behind him. A little girl, actually.

"There was a doorway that led into the room, and a woman burst through it, and I could hear her yelling 'No! Not my daughter! Please, take me; spare my child!' The man turned around kicked her in the stomach. She fell back into the energy, and vanished into its ether. The little girl screamed out for her mother, but the man dragged her down the path and threw her onto the stairs before the woman. She raised an eyebrow, showing interest in the little girl, and again lifted her finger.

"The girl flew up into the air like the man had, and the woman looked her over. 'Maybe,' she said nonchalantly, and waved her hand to the side. The girl was heaved toward the wall but instead of hitting it, she passed through to the other side. As she went through it, I could hear voices. Multiple children were on the other side of that wall, Quistis. This woman and this man were gathering them for some reason. Then the woman got up from her throne and she sort of glided down the stairs with her wings. She took the man's hand, they locked eyes, and then kissed."

Rinoa turned to Quistis, who was doing everything in her power to not run out of the room. She knew what Rinoa was going to say, she knew, but to leave now would be to abandon all hope of something she wasn't sure could even be achieved. Not after hearing all of that. She wasn't sure what she stood to gain by remaining here with Rinoa, but she couldn't leave. She _knew_ she couldn't leave.

"You must've guessed by now…because of the wings?" asked Rinoa. Quistis swallowed her answer and simply nodded.

"Amidst all of that, those two people were…happy." Rinoa drifted away on that last word.

 _Happy_.

What does it mean to be truly happy? To live the life you intend to live for yourself, and on _your_ terms? Was Rinoa suggesting that those two people she saw were somehow justified in their actions? No, no way. She couldn't possibly mean that. This was _Rinoa_ , of all people. She would never…

"We're older…" she began again. "I don't know when this happens Quistis, but Squall and I are older than we are now. I have blue and black markings strewn across the left side of my face, and they were starting to form on the right side, too. I might've been about halfway into my transformation. Squall's a little bulkier, but other than that, the man you call 'Commander' carries out any and _every_ task I ask of him.

"And, most importantly, he's clear. You know how he can seem unsure of whether or not to even take a step forward in the hall? How he used to curl up into a ball and when he didn't know what to do? Those doubts are gone. Squall is fearless; my knight is by my side through all of this, and he's happy to do it."

Rinoa stood up and walked to the other side of the room. She turned to Quistis, showing all distress had left her face, and Quistis' hands began to shake.

"Quistis, Edea knows I've had these visions. The man who's coming here, that Irvine and Selphie are going to retrieve from Centra, he's going to be able to discern whether or not these are just my fears raging out of control; just a young girl's anxieties magnified by her power…or if it's a premonition."

Rinoa walked back over to the bed. Quistis didn't scurry away like she wanted to. She didn't run either. She desperately wanted to, but _actually_ couldn't. For all Quistis knew, she was suddenly in a dream, because she had absolutely zero control over her body. She was hoping that she'd passed out on the way to see Rinoa, and would wake up any moment now in the infirmary. When Rinoa placed her hand on hers, she knew this was all too real. The reason she couldn't move or speak was because Rinoa had slyly cast a Stop spell on her so that she wouldn't be able to leave.

"Edea told me to be prepared for anything, and to do whatever is necessary not to end up like that. So, I'm asking you to please not tell anyone about this. Not just for my sake, but for your own as well."

Quistis couldn't open her mouth to scream. She was forced to gaze into Rinoa's eyes. She had never been more afraid of someone in her entire life, even Ultimecia. She wasn't alone, then, but now she was completely defenseless against someone who exhibited that same kind of raw power. What had happened to her friend? What had happened to the sweet girl from Timber she had met one year ago? The girl that had fought by her side to save the world? The girl who wore her hair almost so that it would invigorate and cheer up those around her?

 _Why the hell am I still thinking about her highlights?!_

The Head Instructor couldn't get the idea that something was missing from Rinoa at this moment. Was she trying to fabricate the possibility that this _wasn't_ Rinoa?

 _That's ridiculous! This is real, this is all terrifyingly real! What will I say to the others?! Matron actually told her to do this! What am I to—_

"Quistis," Rinoa whispered. Quistis realized she now had control of her lips; the spell was wearing off. She began to shake, but Rinoa intensified her grip on her hand and she immediately stopped.

"…Run."

At that second, Quistis regained control of her legs, as though Rinoa had willed it. She put her hands over her mouth, tears immediately forming in her eyes.

"Rinoa, please…tell me this isn't real," she whispered.

Rinoa laid back down on the bed and put her hands behind her head, before shooing her away.

Quistis grabbed the door handle and bolted out of the room. To the students who she passed, they had just seen the Head Instructor flee from the Commander and Sorceress's room. It was a terrible sight, and she knew there'd be almost no way for her to run damage control on it. How could she tell Squall? If she told him, he wouldn't believe her, and might even take up his calling to protect his Sorceress. If she told Xu, those White SeeDs would do more than just stick around. And, what about Matron? Had she really told Rinoa to act this way? That it was all right and it was what she _had_ to do? Quistis ran into her room and shut the door behind her. She collapsed onto the floor and wept.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Back in the Commander's room, the Sorceress rose from her bed and closed the door before anyone could look inside. She walked over to the closet and willed it open. An unconscious body fell out, and she picked it up to place it on the bed. Naked, Rinoa Heartilly lay on the bed sound asleep under the effects of a double sleep spell. The Sorceress undressed and then slid each article of clothing onto the real Rinoa. With a snap of her fingers, a burst of smoke came out from under the her feet. Standing much taller than Rinoa's petite 5'3, a creature in a mysterious yellow cloak that went over its head leered around the room. It had black markings similar to Ultimecia's running down the middle of it, and was covered in various red, orange, and gold jewelry, with a small slit in front for it to see. Inside, two bright, white lights of energy shined through, serving as its eyes. The creature looked out of the peephole in the door and watched as students quickly gathered by the door, waiting for someone else to come out.

"Hmmm…Squall is in Balamb right now with Zell…unbeknownst to the students, most likely. I think _he'll_ be the one to chase after Quistis." The creature spoke in a voice that sounded like hundreds of men and women speaking at the same time. Whatever this thing was, it was capable of mimicry, and with another snap of its fingers, Squall now stood in the room, naked.

"He took his usual wardrobe out? A pair of jeans will do nicely. And…he'll be putting on a shirt as he runs out of here. Oh, the gossip this little fiasco will create!" the Mimic murmured to itself. Running to their closet, it slid on a pair of pants and grabbed a white t-shirt.

It took one last look at Rinoa before leaving. Slowly, it crept up along the side of the bed and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"The sweet irony is that those visions are _all too real_. You would abandon such power for the sake of what, I ask you? My dear Sorceress, if you keep trying to fight against what your body wants for you, I'll have to step in and make sure you fail." It ran Squall's hand through her hair.

"It's for your own good. Someday you'll think back and be grateful to have had a servant like me." The faux Squall stood up and slid the shirt over its head, opening the door and closing it quickly behind it.

"Quistis, wait!" it yelled, and ran down the hall to where it thought she might've gone. It made a sharp turn down an empty hall and vanished, but not before relishing in the voices behind it saying things like:

"What happened now?"

"Is the commander sleeping with Instructor Trepe or something?"

"What did the Sorceress do?!"

Watching from the shadows, The Mimic snickered to itself as it overlooked the chaos from the second floor.

"It's not what the Sorceress did that should be your concern, children. It's what she _will_ do."

* * *

 _Whoo! Another update! :D_

 _Sorry for the cliffhanger. Well, I'm not sorry for writing it, I just know they can be a bit of a tease :P_

 _Thanks to **h34rt1lly, LaylaEvercrest, AllyTood,** and **LeCritic** for your reviews of the last chapter; I'm glad to see this piece is keeping everyone engaged (so far, lol) and that you're all enjoying it (so far :D )_

 _I know this chapter's a little on the long side, but I promise most of the ones to come won't be **this** long._

 _Also, while I have you here, the concept of premonitions, as well as the song from the OST was running through my head constantly while I wrote this. So much so, that I decided to do a rock version of the song and make a video for it:_

 _watch?v=tUsEvl0FjPk  
Thank you all so much for reading! Please R&R if you get a chance, there's no writer I know that doesn't like to hear from their readers :)_

 _Seeya soon!  
_


	5. Time Has A Funny Way Of Changing People

Chapter 4: Time has a funny way of changing people…

* * *

Nestled on the couch in their SeeD cabin, Irvine and Selphie slept peacefully. Despite there being two bunk beds five feet away, Irvine had taken to the couch to further review the files after they boarded. Selphie immediately jumped onto the bottom bunk and slid all the way over to the wall, playfully indicating that there was room for one more. While Irvine would've loved nothing more than to assume his position as the little spoon, he said he'd be there in "just a minute." Those minutes quickly piled up, and Selphie dozed off, snoring so loud that the people in the next cabin over complained.

It didn't distract Irvine, though. He needed _at least_ one more piece of information to make him feel secure about this mission. After three hours of combing through the same papers—none of them changing as he had hoped—he laid his head down on the couch and passed out. Moments later, Selphie crept out of bed and slid onto the couch next to him. Instincts came into play, and he adjusted himself so she could fit onto it comfortably, putting her arm around him and pulling him close to her. This all happened while he was still asleep; it was just the nature of their relationship to do such things for each other, conscious or not. Selphie was happy she at least got to sleep next to him, and Irvine was happy just to get any sleep at all. Having his big spoon helped make it a peaceful one.

Selphie had set an alarm for an hour before their train arrived in FH, around 06:00. They hadn't boarded the train until 23:00, and Irvine didn't fall asleep until 03:00, so as nice as his sleep was, the alarm was the worst he could've asked for in a wake-up-call.

"That thing is so damn loud," he muttered, his mouth barely opening to make distinguishable words. Selphie's chocobo alarm clock sounded like a chocobo screaming into a megaphone. Perfect for her, terrible for anyone who didn't like loud noises and explosions. Basically, terrible for everyone.

"Just think of it as Boko wanting to wake you up and go for a ride!" she chirped as she jumped off the couch to shut it off.

"Boko? Hyne, I haven't read that book in forever. Did you have to read it for the junior cadets or something?"

"'Bartz & Boko Ride Again'? Yeah, and they loved it! Who wouldn't, though? It's thirty something pages of a hero who's gone back to his old life as an adventurer with his chocobuddy!"

Irvine grunted and got up to make a cup of coffee.

"We'll be there in an hour or so, right?" he asked.

"Yep! At least we had beds here. Whatever tugboat they throw us onto at FH is probably gonna be soooo uncomfortable."

Irvine grimaced at the thought of having to deal with anyone from FH, especially as SeeDs.

"Throw that on top of their already belittling attitude towards us and we could be in for one long boat ride."

Selphie exerted a heavy sigh and walked over to the coffee machine.

"Dark roast?" she asked.

"The darkest," he responded, knowing that that was her favorite type of morning coffee.

Selphie hated two things: being tired, and not having any energy. Those were the same thing, but she insisted they were different, terrible, and that Irvine hadn't even seen the _real_ angry side of Selphie—an aspect of her personality that only came out when she didn't have her dark coffee. Considering he had to buy a whole new coffee machine after attempting to offset her high energy by making decaf, not to mention wear a splint on his right pinky (they were holding hands when she realized what he'd done–her grip was immeasurably strong) he wanted nothing to do with the _real_ angry Selphie.

She took a small sip, and grinned.

"Good. You've got another six months before I can trust you again, but you've been on your best behavior, so maybe I'll cut it down to four."

"I'm humbled by your benevolence," he joked back.

Selphie shot him a glare and he quickly turned away, genuinely nervous if he had extended his probation.

"Watch it, Kinneas," she said, sitting down on the couch with her eyes fixated on him. He sat down next to her at attention.

"Yes, warden."

They both sipped on their drinks, relaxing on the couch together. Irvine was trying not to think about the mission for a bit and just enjoy his time with Selphie. He knew things could be worse and he could be here alone, had she not barged into Cid's office before he walked in, so he was thankful for that, at least.

 _I'm not alone…_

That realization loosened him up a bit, and he eased back into the cushions.

"Don't get too comfortable, now. I'll have to turn Boko back on," warned Selphie.

"Damn you, Boko," Irvine muttered under his breath, both of them laughing.

 _Last stop, Fisherman's Horizon. Please make sure you have all your bags and belongings together! Again, last stop, Fisherman's Horizon. Please watch the gap as you leave the train._

"Huh? We're there?" asked Irvine.

"Maybe the train started going really, really fast?" suggested Selphie.

Selphie wasn't one to set an alarm clock for the wrong time. This change of pace in their trip stirred the same uncomfortable feelings Irvine had felt about it earlier.

As the train slowly pulled to a stop, the door to their cabin opened without their prompting.

"Hey! What the hell! This is a private room! _Private!_ " yelled Irvine. Two White SeeDs stepped into the room and stood at attention at opposite sides of the opening. A third White SeeD, a young woman wearing some kind of visor over her eyes, and also bore a ribbon that signified her stature, stepped in between them.

 _White SeeDs? What the hell are they doing here?_

Irvine had no reason to fear their nomadic counterparts, but their distant disposition and the discipline they displayed was far more robotic than that of even the most dedicated Galbadian student. The woman in the middle stepped forward and removed her visor. Once her face was fully revealed, the couple's confusion immediately turned to joy.

"Ellone?" gasped Irvine in disbelief.

"Sis!" Selphie leapt over the table and wrapped herself around Ellone, as she was one to do.

"Hey guys! It's great to see you again!" Ellone choked out with what little air Selphie had left in her lungs. Irvine stood up and walked around to give her a hug as well, then stepped back and marveled at her appearance.

"A White SeeD? Laguna's alright with this?" he asked.

"Uncle Laguna doesn't call the shots in my life, Irvy. The discussions of how I'm 'putting myself at risk out there' do take up most of our dinners, though. I know he's just being protective, and he's learned he's not going to stop me anyway," she replied.

"What made you decide to become a White SeeD?" asked Selphie. Ellone turned to Selphie, still somewhat at attention.

"I'd just been with them for so long, and I didn't want to stay walled up in Esthar for the rest of my life. It might be a big city, but I'd get terribly claustrophobic whenever I'd try to just go for a walk. This is more suiting for me. I basically grew up on the White Seed ship; I owe it to them to help out and lead the way now that we're in peacetime."

Irvine noticed the ribbon and marveled at the way it shimmered in the light.

"Is that, like, a 'leader ribbon' or something?"

Ellone looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"A 'leader ribbon'?" she asked, chuckling. She'd worked on her wit, apparently.

"Ok; hey, what does that ribbon on your uniform symbolize? Is that better?" he asked again.

Ellone laughed and nodded her head.

"You were right the first time. It's the ribbon I wear as Commander of the White SeeDs," she answered with her chin raised confidently.

"Heeey, just like Squall! Like brother like sister!" Selphie chirped. Ellone blushed at the sentiment.

Irvine looked at the other two SeeDs and saluted them. They returned the gesture immediately.

"Got those two on point, huh?" asked Irvine.

"If I wasn't talking to you two, I'd be acting no different. Maybe for diplomatic purposes I'd be a little more friendly, but their demeanor is the White SeeD way."

Irvine and Selphie would _never_ want to be White SeeDs, but damn if they didn't respect their level of commitment and discipline.

"Are you the reason the train pulled in early?" asked Selphie.

"Actually, that was just the automated machine on the train. When the train slows down or stops, it makes the announcement that it's approaching its next destination. The train won't be in FH for another forty-five minutes or so, but we're picking you up now."

Irvine did a double take at her answer.

" _You're_ taking us to Centra?" he asked.

Ellone nodded.

"We have orders to accompany you to and from Centra. Once you pick up your client, we're going straight back to Balamb to dock."

"You're docking?!" asked Selphie almost in disbelief.

"Only temporarily. Since we're not on the run from anyone, we agreed to Cid and Matron's request for us to stay."

Irvine picked up the folder from the table and immediately showed it to Ellone.

"Sis, do you know anything about this mission that we may need to know?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"I only know what _our_ orders are, Irvine. We're under strict instructions not to interfere unless there's a direct threat to either one of you. Don't worry, though. Matron said your safety shouldn't be compromised because of who you're going to pick up—she just meant it generally."

That confused Selphie.

"I don't get it, does she think we can't take care of ourselves or something?"

Ellone shrugged again, and then gestured to the two SeeDs with her to grab their bags.

"She didn't sound too crazy about the idea of us being involved at all, actually. But, she mentioned something happened a week ago with Rinoa…what's that about?"

The couple tensed up, unsure how to explain to a woman who'd spent most of her life running from a Sorceress that the new one, their dear friend, appeared to be losing more and more control of her powers.

"Umm…we can't really divulge that information. Apparently whoever we're picking up is supposed to help out with that, so since it's related to the mission we have to keep details like that to ourselves," replied Selphie.

The two White SeeDs stopped dead in their tracks, looking to their Commander on what to do next. She waved them off nonchalantly and they promptly left the room.

"I understand. That's the life of a SeeD, eh?" said Ellone with a small smile.

"If your involvement was in the contract we could divulge that information to you. Guess I shouldn't have asked if you knew anything about _our_ mission, either," said Irvine.

"It's okay. Everyone on the ship thought the request for us to dock was odd, too. I imagine you weren't expecting to see us of all people show up and pick you up from the train before it even reached FH. Whether or not we can share detailed information about our missions, despite their being directly connected, is a no-brainer. But, we can trust each other on the field, and that's what our jobs really boil down to in the end, right?"

Irvine and Selphie felt strongly encouraged by those words. Their morale raised, they stood at attention and saluted Ellone, their now fellow SeeD. She saluted right back and the three left the cabin. Before the door closed, however, Selphie ran back in.

"Almost forgot about Boko!" she exclaimed as she bundled up her favorite alarm clock. Irvine tsked, hoping she'd forget it there.

The door for their car opened, and a makeshift bridge extended from the White SeeD ship to the train. They walked down and were greeted with salutes from other White SeeDs, as well as gentle waves of hello by the children aboard the ship.

"I'm glad this place still serves as an orphanage. Keeps the spirit of Matron around, like it should be," said Selphie.

"That was one of the first things I addressed when I took charge. We're much less focused on combat—even less then we were before—and more on helping those in need." Ellone then turned toward the two of them with a devious grin.

"Don't worry, though. We still know how to throw down." She slid her arms down the sides of her pants, turned them, and when she pulled them back up she had a katar on each wrist.

"Heeey, you took after Kiros!" said Selphie, excited to see those weapons again since she'd seen them when traveling to the past. Ellone nodded and bowed with her arms crossed over each other, just like Kiros would.

"I'm not into guns like Uncle Laguna, and Ward is the only person I know who could carry that huge anchor-harpoon-thing around. Besides, Mr. Kiros was the most supportive of my joining, and he offered to train me so I'd be as capable as possible in battle. If needed, of course." She put her hands back at her sides, turned her wrists, and the katars fastened to her pants and blended in as if they weren't even there.

"Good for you, Ellone. Way to choose your own path," cheered Irvine. Ellone smiled widely and gestured for them to follow her to the back of the boat.

In the back were several children sitting in a circle playing duck-duck-chocobo. The three watched and took in the sight. Even Selphie, who wanted to join in and play, had to admire them being so wrapped up in their game. The three of them would be lying if they said they weren't a bit envious.

"Would one of you mind watching them? After that it's story time, and then supper. I can show you to-"

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" exclaimed Selphie, leaping from where they were standing and over to the children.

"Heeey, can I play too, you guys?" The children's faces lit up and they opened the circle for her to join in. That just left Irvine and Ellone.

"If you wouldn't mind showing me to our room, Sis, I want to try and look over these documents a few more times."

"Combing through them for more details about this whole thing, huh?" she asked as if she'd been doing the same thing since Edea had contacted her. Irvine was surprised by her response and decided to inquire.

"I know we're not supposed to divulge the details, but are your instructions unusually vague, too?" he asked.

Ellone nodded and began massaging her temples.

"Let's get up to your room and talk about this. I don't want to curse in front of the children."

 _Geez, could hers be even worse than mine?_

Ellone opened the cabin door to the tiny bedroom for them, and sat down in a chair adjacent to the door. Irvine threw his bags against the wall and then fell down onto the bed.

"Ok, so how much information counts as too much? Just so we can set some boundaries," asked Irvine.

"Well, how about the guy with the weird name, GoGo?" she asked. Irvine shrugged and opened up his folder. Ellone pulled out several papers stapled together and put them on the table next to her.

"Says here he's the one that filed the missing person report, prompting the inquiry about our mystery man. You remember anything from that day?" he asked.

"I mostly remember Raine insisting that no one had been there the night before, like the police were saying. Uncle Laguna seemed uncomfortable whenever she said that, but tried to play it off and confirmed it. I remember smelling something burning from the kitchen the night before though, and when I asked them about it, they got into a fight about how Raine 'just knew it woke up Ellone!'

"To be honest, even as a four year old, I felt like I was watching a play. Raine was convincing because she was always scolding Uncle Laguna, but he's just such a terrible liar…and actor." She briefly remembered that low budget movie he "starred" in to make some extra money with Kiros, the fight with the Ruby Dragon, and in particular, Laguna trying to use a gunblade, being almost completely incapable of wielding it, unlike his son. The whole thing brought a smile to her face.

"So, there _was_ a man at Raine's pub, then?" asked Irvine, bringing Ellone back to the present.

"I think so. When I smelled the smoke, I heard Raine talking with someone, but I didn't recognize their voice. Uncle Laguna spoke with him too, for a short while, but not nearly as long as the stranger and Raine spoke. I know the meeting ended on a very happy note, and our guest said that he'd be back eventually; that they could count on it."

Irvine was pleasantly surprised to hear some nice things about their mystery man, and a little bit of tension eased off of his shoulders.

"So, he's a good guy then? I mean if Laguna liked him…"

"Uncle Laguna likes everybody. Remember when Seifer was on trial after the war? Laguna was vying so vigilantly for him to have asylum in Esthar."

"Oh Hyne, that's right. I remember the fights he and Squall would get into about it." Ellone stood up and put on a menacing scowl.

"Stop trying to pardon him! He's the enemy!" said Ellone in her best impersonation of Squall.

Irvine excitedly jumped up and took off his cowboy hat. He pulled his hair out of his ponytail and moved it all to the right side of his face to look like Laguna.

"He was under mind control, Squall! That, like, absolves him for just about everything!" said Irvine in his best—though admittedly not that great—Laguna impression.

"Not bad," smiled Ellone, and they laughed heartily together.

Irvine sat back down on the bed and redid his ponytail.

"You know, I was still surprised when Squall testified for him. He didn't necessarily stick up for the guy, but giving all of the information about Ultimecia's control over him as he did, as a matter-of-fact, he really helped Seifer."

"I always wondered how Laguna talked him into it," said Ellone.

Irvine shrugged and put his cowboy hat back on.

"Weird way to begin a relationship with your estranged dad, that's for sure. But, even Rinoa was okay with it, even after he'd thrown her on the ground at Adel's feet." Both of them felt chills go up their spines at the mention of Adel, and the memory of that awful fight.

"Okay, we're getting off track," said Ellone, taking control of the conversation before giving in to waxing nostalgic with Irvine.

"Right, back to the guy. So, Laguna liked him, but did Raine?" he asked as he reopened his folder.

Ellone nodded.

"I think so, actually. He would've been bounced out on his butt by her if she hadn't. From what I can piece together, he just sort of showed up out of the blue. I still don't know why, though. What I know is that Raine had completely let her guard down by the end of their visit." Just then an idea came to Irvine's head and he perked up from the folder.

"Hey, how about you send me back to see what happened?" he asked, thinking he'd be able to get the answers he was looking for. Ellone looked away from him for a moment, a somber look coming over her. Had Irvine said something wrong?

 _Oh, maybe she feels weird about seeing Raine…_

"I haven't used my power since we initiated time compression, Irvy. I want to keep it that way, too."

"Damn."

She glared at him, upset by his answer.

"No! I mean, like, 'damn, that could've worked.' But, I understand where you're coming from. That wasn't an easy time for any of us, but you were on a journey of your own, trying to do the impossible. I guess I didn't consider the toll that took. You're just always in a good mood and know what to do. You're Sis," he replied warmly.

She smiled and stood up to give him a hug. Irvine hugged her back, letting the fact that Sis was back in his life sink in. He had everyone from the orphanage together again now. He knew that they gave him all the credit for what he said back at Trabia, but he didn't care for it. It was the end result that mattered the most to him.

"Thanks, Irvy. It's not like I haven't thought about it. I just want to keep us in the present. I want you to meet this man as he is now; maybe it's a blessing in disguise that these contracts disclose so little information about him," Ellone stated. Irvine half-heartedly agreed. He was determined to get more answers sooner than later, but he'd relent if he could ask one more thing of Ellone.

"Sis, if after meeting him, getting acquainted, bringing him to Garden, etc., etc., there's some things we need to check out, can I have your word that you'll help us?" he asked.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, considering which of the many possible answers she could give very carefully.

"…Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, ok?"

"Ok, that's more than fair," agreed Irvine.

Ellone smiled and picked up the folder to head toward the door.

"We'll be at Centra in a few hours. Since Garden doesn't expect you back for a few days, we'll have some extra time to get to know this guy. Matron said he was a really nice man."

Irvine thought back to what she had said to him and Selphie back in Cid's office, and then about what Cid had said about how Irvine would regret wanting to know more about him.

"Yeah…I guess we'll cross that bridge," he replied.

They waved goodbye to each other, and Ellone closed the door. Irvine kicked off his boots, and closed his eyes to get in some of the sleep he'd lost on the train.

* * *

"4,000 gil for each ring," said the shopkeeper. Zell had gotten nowhere in trying to haggle a bargain with this man, and it was starting to wear on Squall's nerves.

"Come on, Jack! What the hell do I have to do to bring you over to our side?" asked Zell exasperated from the back and forth.

"It's not about sides, Zell! It's about bills! I know you guys are heroes, and I owe you my life and blah blah blah, but you're not paying my rent! And these rings ain't necessarily common either. The material in this one is pure adamantium, along with some other stuff I haven't figured out yet. Then on the one you made, Zell, I don't know how you got it, but this is frickin' orichalcum! I gotta order these materials from Dollet! I'm not gonna make a profit at 4,000 per ring, but I'll do it at that price for you guys."

"So, this _is_ a deal, then?" asked Squall. The Shopkeeper nodded.

"We'll take it then," Squall said definitively, and put 8,000 gil right down on the counter.

"Whoa! Since when do you carry that much money around on you, Squall?" Zell exclaimed in surprise.

"Deal or not, we both knew this wasn't going to be cheap." Squall reached into his pocket again and took out a rather large piece of gil. The shopkeeper's eyes grew wide at the sight of it. If he were a dog, his tongue would be out and his tail would be wagging.

"Does this help you make a profit?" asked Squall.

"You bet your ass it does! But, I can't ask you to throw that in, kid. I said 8,000. It's a favor."

Squall put the piece down on the table, stunning Zell and the shopkeeper further.

"The rings are important, and I really appreciate your help," he said.

The man took the 8,000, as well as the large piece Squall had just put down, bringing it to a total of 18,000 gil, and put it down behind the counter.

"Thanks, Squall. I don't know what to say. I guess I'm sorry for acting so stubborn earlier."

Squall waved off the apology.

"Don't worry about it." Just before turning to walk out, he gave some choice parting words.

"But if something happens to those rings, I'm coming for more than my money." The shopkeeper burst out laughing at the threat. Squall narrowed his eyes and Jack fought to confine his laughter.

"Hey, I believe you. I knew there had to be a catch to it. I just found the turn to be funny. You have my word, they'll be safe with me."

Squall nodded appreciatively and gestured for Zell to follow him out.

When they left the shop, Zell was incredulous as to what he'd just witnessed.

"So I spend almost half an hour trying to haggle with the guy, then you just whip out more money than I've ever seen in one place like it's no big deal? What else are you hiding, Squall?" he asked jokingly.

Squall didn't find it so funny, considering there were plenty of things he _was_ hiding.

"Let's go see Faust. I want to inquire about why he said I didn't come to see him."

"You're pretty stuck on that, huh?" asked Zell.

"You're not even a little curious about it?"

"It's weird, but those tests…"

"Right, those tests," Squall interrupted. "I want to find out if short-term memory loss, or possible bouts of delusion are known side effects. If not, my once star pupil may be a liar, and that's-"

"Not becoming of a SeeD. You got it, Commander; let's make moves." Zell got behind Squall and the two walked over to the hospital. When they went in, they didn't ask what room Faust was in, as they both already knew. Squall peered in through the window built into the door and saw Faust resting in bed. He opened it slowly, and Faust immediately sat up at attention and saluted him.

"Commander!"

"At ease, Faust."

Faust resumed laying the way he was before, looking wary of Squall's scanning eyes. Zell walked in after and saw Squall was getting ready to dish out discipline that only he could.

He walked back and forth at the foot of the bed, his arms behind his back, still observing a noticeably uncomfortable Faust.

"How're you feeling?" he asked first.

"My leg is…" Faust turned to Zell before answering; waiting for some kind of cue before he could speak further. Zell got the hint and closed the door behind him.

"Thank you, Instructor Dincht. Sir, my leg is perfectly healed…thanks in part to the treatment Ms. Heartilly gave me at the infirmary."

Squall nodded and continued his pacing.

"You've kept quiet about that like we discussed?" he asked. This was starting to feel more like an interrogation to Zell. He knew how protective Squall was over Rinoa, but Faust was thirteen, and had been put in a really awkward position since the incident.

"Yes sir, not a word. I don't even think Ms. Heartilly suspects I know she healed me, and I am fully aware of the repercussions that would come about if anyone were to find out about it. The wrong conclusions that they would-"

"That's enough, Faust," interrupted Squall. Zell grew more uncomfortable. If he had been under Squall's instruction, no way would he have stuck around Balamb. He'd transfer to Trabia, even with them still in the process of rebuilding, over dealing with this. Faust, on the other hand, despite how uncomfortable _he_ looked, was focused, his respect for his Commander on display for all to see.

Squall walked over to the side of the bed and pulled up a chair. He sat down, maintaining perfect posture, and then leaned in.

"How're those tests going?" he asked.

"I thought they went fine, sir. Apparently some of the results were a little off, and they want to keep me here for another few days to run them again."

That didn't sit well with either of them. Not only did that mean more money coming out of the Garden's budget, but it also implied that some bacteria had mutated due to the exposure of such high-powered magic to an open wound. If that were the case, Rinoa would be fully responsible, and the repercussions of that would be personally and professionally disastrous for all of them.

"What do you mean by 'off''?" asked Zell.

Squall glared at him; his expression saying 'I'm asking the questions here.' But, Zell now had a stake in this too, and he wanted to protect his hide.

"The doctor said that of the three tests I was administered, one of them came back with results that didn't match the other two. Two of the tests showed my blood levels as they've been the whole time I've been here, and showed no sign of infection. But, the other test showed levels that didn't match any of my records. They said that while they were the same in terms of error margins and synced up within the context of the individual reports, it was as if that test was done on another person. Like, a relative of mine, because they were so similar, but not exactly the same."

Squall and Zell didn't know what to make of that answer. These tests were new, but that sounded like an error on the hospital's part, and not a flaw in the procedures themselves.

"I should add though, that even the test with weird results showed no sign of infection," finished Faust.

"Well, that's good to know," said Zell, slightly relieved.

Squall on the other hand, still had a bone to pick.

"Faust, has the doctor mentioned any strange side effects of the tests to you? Say, something like short term memory loss, or perhaps bouts of delusions or hallucinations?"

The young cadet shook his head.

"No, sir. Is that a possibility? I've never heard anything like that before!" Faust began to get worked up. Apparently the thought of having his senses and capacity to think impaired in any way, really bothered him. Zell began to notice how differently he was acting from the day before, and began to wonder as to what had brought about this abrupt change.

"Ok, ok, just relax Faust. I was only asking because when Instructor Dincht came to visit you yesterday with Head Instructor Trepe, Ms. Tilmitt, and Mr. Kinneas, you mentioned to them that I hadn't come to visit you yet. I had been here the day before, and we talked extensively about whether or not you could return to training upon your release, even though you're still excused from classes for the rest of the semester."

Faust looked at Squall, then at Zell, then at Squall again; his anxiety rising once more, this time with a fair amount of confusion mixed in.

"Commander…Instructor Dincht and the others you mentioned never came to visit me," he said nervously.

Zell stepped back to take in those words and keep from losing his cool.

"What?! Faust, I saw you yesterday afternoon! You said to us that _Squall_ had never come to visit you, remember?"

Faust's mouth was open but he couldn't form any words to express his confusion.

"Faust, are you saying you don't remember meeting with the four of them yesterday?" asked Squall.

The young cadet nervously gulped and gave his uneasy answer.

"Sir, yesterday afternoon I was undergoing the second bout of tests. I was out of my room from the early morning all the way until around 20:00…"

While Squall pinched the bridge of his nose to keep from showing his frustration, Zell marched over to the door and pulled a clipboard out from the bin hanging outside. He brought it over and displayed it in front of Faust.

"Look here, Faust. We were here yesterday—it says so right here. It even has the time," Zell explained.

Faust knew he wasn't hallucinating, but he was still utterly confused. Squall on the other hand, looked intrigued.

"I hadn't thought of that. Zell, turn to the page before and make sure my name is there," asked Squall. Zell flipped back a page, and sure enough, the Commander's name was there.

"What the hell is going on?!" exclaimed Zell.

"Zell, please, control yourself," instructed Squall calmly.

Zell walked over to the door to put the clipboard back and took in a deep breath to relax a little. He knew Squall ran a tight ship, so he'd have to stay calm in front of students to maintain that image. When he came back into the room, Squall was now at Faust's bedside, trying to console the very confused child.

"We're going to figure this all out, Faust, don't worry," he said confidently.

Zell had no idea how he intended to follow through on that. None of the things he'd heard or seen in the past ten minutes made any sense to him, and he doubted Squall had any clue as to what was going on either.

"Commander, may I ask how?" inquired Faust.

Zell was impressed.

 _This kid's got guts_.

His reverence for Squall was sizeable and spoke well of his character, but he wasn't afraid to ask questions of his superiors. Squall was impressed too, and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"I'll go talk to the doctors about it. I won't be able to come back today, but we'll make sure this is all cleared up and everything is accounted for. Don't worry, there's still no sign of infection, right? We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise." Squall gave Faust a swift salute, and Faust returned it immediately.

"Thank you, Commander! And, Instructor Dincht, I'm sorry I don't remember visiting with you yesterday, but I thank you for it as well." Zell smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Zell…" muttered Squall.

 _Whoops_.

The martial artist stood at attention and saluted Faust, who returned it as swiftly as he had to Squall. A superior saluting their cadets was considered an unprecedented honor, and Faust had just been saluted by two of the people who defeated the Sorceress. He was flattered to say the least.

"Rest easy, cadet. We'll see you soon," said Squall before heading out for the hall. Zell followed and closed the door behind him before letting out all of the energy he'd been suppressing while inside.

"FRICKIN' HELL! WHAT THE CRAP WAS THAT?!" he yelled as loudly as possible. Squall covered his face with one hand to hide his embarrassment. Luckily the walls and doors of the hospital were pretty thick, so only _his_ ears were wrecked by Zell's outburst.

A doctor came sprinting down the hallway as if there was an emergency.

"Is something wrong? Are you alright, sir?!" he asked Zell, panicked.

"He's fine, just emotional," answered Squall. The doctor looked at the two gentlemen realized whom he was talking to.

"Oh my! I hadn't realized I was talking to Squall Leonhart and Zell Dincht. It's an honor, sirs. Are you here visiting Cadet Faust?"

"Yes, we've been here the past two days, according to the chart. According to Faust, however, I wasn't here two days ago, and then when I asked him about it just now, he remembered our meeting in full. But, he had no recollection of meeting with Zell or any of our colleagues yesterday. He was apparently undergoing a second bout of those magic-infection tests?" the Commander inquired.

"Yes, that's right. Faust wasn't in his room at all yesterday."

"Then why'd the nurse escort us here? Why'd we see him laying in the bed plain as day, watching TV?!" yelled Zell. Squall nudged Zell in the shoulder to get him to calm down–again.

"Sir, I can see you're upset, but he wasn't in here yesterday—he was in the labs," replied the doctor.

"Our names are on the guest sign-in thing, doc!"  
"The clipboard?" deadpanned Squall. Zell rolled his eyes at his Commander's needless correction of him, and continued.  
"Check it yourself!" he continued.

The doctor, worried one of the earth's heroes might blow a gasket, pulled the clipboard out of the bin and indeed saw the four people's names from yesterday, and then Squall's from the day before that.

"This is very peculiar…and you said he was watching TV?" asked the doctor.

Zell nodded and replied, "Yeah, like…I don't know, the news or something."

That seemed a little off to Squall. A thirteen-year-old kid watching the news? Even someone as disciplined as Faust wouldn't care to watch that drivel, especially since he'd get the full scoop from his instructors anyway.

"I don't know what the programming has to do with it, but Faust hasn't watched any TV for the whole time he's been here. He's actually insisted we _not_ turn it on, and asked for a nightlight so he could continue his reading requirements for school, despite his full academic ride."

Squall smiled softly, but proudly at the sound of that.

 _Now that sounds like Faust_.

"Doctor, are there any side effects on a patient's memory with these tests?" he asked. The doctor shrugged.

"Not that we're aware of. Generally speaking, if there _were_ to be side effects, they would be in the area we're performing the tests. He's already shown no sign of infection, but if there had been one, it couldn't have spread and caused any kind of damage to his memory. Tests being done on his leg wouldn't yield any damage to his mind, just to reiterate."

"And you're running a second batch of tests now because of the odd results you got earlier?" Squall continued.

"Yes. That's something no one's encountered while administering these tests. I'm sure he told you, but one batch of results came back as if they were done on a different, but very similar person—like a cousin, or even Faust himself if he were older, or less healthy than he is now.

"We don't know what happened, but when we first did the tests we spread them out over three days since his leg was still healing. Yesterday, we ran all three at once, and I think the results will please you." The doctor handed Squall a manila folder that contained Faust's latest test results.

"I was just on my way to show them to him now, actually. As you can see, all three of these match two of the three from the first time we did them. It's odd, but sometimes new experimental procedures can yield weird results like this."

Squall flashed Zell the papers, and then handed them back to the doctor.

"Can you run the tests a third time in the way you did yesterday? I want to be one hundred percent positive that he's not infected."

Zell didn't like the sound of that. Squall had always been rather stringent about exorbitant spending when it came Garden's budget. Now he was willing to shill out even _more_ than they'd initially planned. Something was off with the Commander, and he feared it might have been brought on by this whole debacle.

"We can do another round of tests, but I'm aware that Garden is handling his finances. Those tests are not particularly cheap."

"I appreciate your concern. Please run the tests again," reiterated Squall without hesitation.

The doctor seemed hesitated, but then nodded and took the papers back.

"I'll just show him these and then let him know how we're moving forward. Is there anything else I can help you two gentleman with?"

Squall shook his head. "That'll be all. Good day, doctor."

He immediately headed for the exit, and Zell hustled to catch up with him.

"Dropping ten-thousand dollar gil coins like it's nothing; putting Faust through more tests and wringing out Balamb's budget like a sponge without a second thought. Can I just ask you something Squall? What. The. Hell?!"

Squall took a few steps forward, then let out a bemoaned sigh.

"…It's for the best. Faust will be completely fine and return to Garden good as new. No one will be suspicious of anything…" Squall's voice now sounded timid, worried even.

Zell realized he may've reopened the door to him talking about everything that had happening with Rinoa. He had to tread lightly if he wanted to keep it open.

"That…puts the importance of the rings in perspective, then," said Zell, scratching the back of his head.

"They're important to us. They're a part of our…bond."

That was huge. Squall had _never_ discussed the bond with anyone before. For him to open up about it to Zell, the guy with the reputation of being a big mouth, made it all the more significant. He still had to be careful though; Squall's opening up this much meant he could pull back just as far. Cautiously, Zell tried to move the conversation forward.

"You guys are so perfect for each other. Remember when I called you a scrooge during our SeeD exam? When you're with her, I feel like if I asked you to show me your gunblade, you would," joked Zell.

Squall let out a small smile and nodded. He didn't say anything, though. He disappeared into his own world like he always did, but whenever he'd done it since their return from the future; he could be found with a smile on his face.

"You ever think about…like…" Zell had no idea what he was about to ask; he was just bluffing his way through the conversation to get Squall to talk some more.

"Like…the future?"

 _Of all the damn questions!_

He thought he'd blown it for sure, especially when Squall looked up to answer. He wasn't smiling anymore, and Zell was already preparing to walk back to Garden alone.

"I've thought of a couple of things for a few years from now, but those may change over time. Right now, I'm just focused on helping her feel comfortable in her own skin again." Zell wasn't ready for an answer so thoughtful. He folded his arms, intent on hearing more. Squall turned to him blankly.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, I didn't think you were done," replied Zell.

 _Well, there goes that window of opportunity_.

"I'm not…but we should go somewhere a little more private first."

"Wanna head back to my mom's place?" offered Zell.

"Yeah. Is that punching bag still in your room, by the way?"

"Dude, who're you talking to here?" asked Zell, laughing.

Squall nodded and began walking toward the Dincht's home. He entered before Zell did, briefly waved to Ma Dincht, and then headed up the stairs. When Zell came in afterwards, Ma Dincht looked at him perplexed.

"Just got a lot on our plate," said Zell before quickly following.

He entered his room to find Squall throwing hard punches at the bag. They were nothing like Zell's of course, but it was uncharacteristic of him to act in such a reckless manner. Zell sat on his old bed and took in the sight. When Squall noticed he was staring, he immediately stopped and went to close the door.

"Hey man, she's cooking Balamb fish tonight. Wanna stick around and have some?" Squall nodded.

"I promised Rinoa I'd bring some home from the market actually, so that sounds like a good idea."

"Oh, yeah, we'll have plenty of leftovers. You'll have enough fish to eat for a month straight!" joked Zell.

Squall leaned up against the desk on the opposite side of the room and stared out the window. "So…" he began.

Zell was all ears.

 _This is it, baby! Quistis is gonna be so pumped!_

"I was finally able to trace back that missing chunk from last quarter's budget…back when Rinoa had her incident here."

 _Oh, come on! Am I about to get an earful for that? That was everyone's idea to payoff the townspeople and paparazzi to keep quiet!_

"Thanks…for everything. Seems almost like we should set aside some extra money each quarter to have ready for when another incident happens…"

"Whoa! Hey man, don't say that. Like you said, they were incidents. That's, like, almost an accident," said Zell.

"It's not, though," Squall replied.

Zell grew anxious as to where this conversation might be heading. He'd tread in what he thought were shallow waters, and was now about to get hit by a tidal wave.

"I'll carry the financial burdens of these things from here on out. And the repercussions of anyone in the public finding out as well, I'll carry the whole thing."

"Dude, you don't have to do that, we're all in this together—"

"No!" shouted Squall. Zell jumped. Squall hadn't raised his voice that way since he was carrying Rinoa everywhere to try and find out why she'd entered a coma after the second fight with Edea.

"Sorry for yelling…but, no. This is my responsibility, and...it's also my privilege."

"Privilege? Squall, taking on the fallout from something like this isn't a 'privilege.' Also, we don't want you to take this on by yourself. We figured you'd eventually try to, but if you've learned _anything_ from the war, it's that we're gonna help you whether you like it or not. Rinoa's the one who led that charge, by the way."

Squall was shooting daggers at Zell. That was a mouthful, but all of it was dead on. The truth was hard for him to swallow, so he turned his attention back to the punching bag.

"Hey, don't hurt your hand…"

"Zell, stay out of this! Okay?" barked Squall.

"You were the one who wanted to talk, dude!"

The Commander ran his hands through his hair and began pacing around the room. Zell was worried he might lose his temper, and slowly started bracing himself for anything Squall might do.

"I meant…I meant stay out of mine and Rinoa's affairs. This is something her Knight has to take care of. Other than Matron, no one else can truly help her except for me."

Zell rolled his eyes, annoyed by Squall's regression to his former behaviors. He was still optimistic though, as he knew he wasn't talking to the same man who'd led him into a battle a year ago. There was still hope that he could reach him.

"Hey, I know you guys have that bond, and it's tied into your love for each other too, but pushing us away in times like this isn't going to help. Obviously time is gonna pass, you two will live on your own somewhere, and hopefully this stuff won't be an issue. But, even then, should something like this happen, we've got both of your backs one hundred percent.

"Don't fight us on this Squall. I speak for everyone when I say we're in it for the long haul. We've been through too much together to not be present, should one of us need help—of any kind."

Squall put his hands on his hips and shook his head. When he turned to Zell, he had the pensive look that everyone had grown familiar with during the war. Was this it? Was he going to close the door to this and leave Zell and the others out in the cold?

"Zell…these incidents have been triggered by the same thing each time."

Zell stared back at him blankly.

 _This sounds like it's gonna get technical. Where's Quistis when you need her?!_

 _Oh, right, with Rinoa. Hope that's going better than this is…_

Squall continued.

"She's been having visions, maybe even premonitions of something awful. A future where she, the Rinoa Heartilly we all know and love, wields the unrelenting power of the sorceresses we've fought. She's carefree, lighthearted, and with just a wag of her finger, she ends people's lives. They're putty in her hand, Zell, and she treats them as such. Adults, children, anyone and everyone is just something to cast aside or get rid of entirely. Every time she sees these visions, she loses it, and her powers spiral out of control.

"The first time, I was the only one who was there, but the time after that, she could've destroyed a whole part of town! This last time, she could've taken a cadet's life had that shard flown just a little higher."

Squall walked over to Zell, but didn't look him in the eyes. He sighed, turning his head toward the ground and to the side.

"The visions, and these incidents…haven't changed how I feel about her whatsoever. I'm more than her Knight. I'm just…hers. That's why I can't have all of you taking any of the responsibility for it. No more. I need to figure this out so that I can save her. I'm the only who can."

Zell crossed his arms and tilted his head at Squall.

"Any ideas so far, genius?"

Squall looked at him as if he was ready to choke him to death. The martial artist wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"I'm only asking because if you're gonna tackle it alone, at least run your plans by us first. Maybe we can help you come up with a better one. If you're gonna be so stubborn that you won't let us help you, which you know would only make things, like, a hundred times easier."

Zell responded this way because, somewhere in Squall's lamenting about Rinoa and his troubles, he'd seen a sign of the weak, unfit-to-lead Squall he knew from when they first became SeeDs. He knew talking like this might _really_ blow his chances to reach him, but Irvine's words rang true in his head about not lying to each other. That seemed more appropriate now than ever.

"You're out of line, Zell!" Squall reprimanded.

"Don't talk to me like I'm one of your students or subordinates. I'm your _friend_ , and I'm in your corner. You need my help, damn it!"

"Were you paying attention to the visions she's been having, Zell? I can't put you guys through that, I just can't! Not again!"

"What do you mean 'again'?" asked Zell, perplexed.

Squall turned back and walked to the other side of the room.

"When we were traveling to Esthar…I was so caught up in my emotions. I regretted taking you guys down that path with me; forcing you to see me at my worst."

Zell tsked in jest at the endearing, albeit exhausting memory of Squall almost coming undone during Rinoa's coma.

"You kidding? Dude, we were thrilled! Sure, you were flipping out every five seconds, but you were alive! You were showing us you cared about someone, and also showed you cared about us, too! It made the journey up to that point well worth dealing with you being a cold-loner-jackass," said Zell laughing.

Squall turned, his expression cold. Zell rolled his eyes again and leaned against his desk, still grinning.

"You're giving me that look, but you know I'm right." Squall pinched the bridge of his nose, and then slowly looked up at Zell. The look in his eyes was one of fear, but also tenacity and drive. The martial artist felt like he may've been looking into the eyes of a madman, but one thing was for certain: he was no coward.

"I'm in the visions, too," said Squall bluntly.

Now assured he was talking to a madman, Zell suddenly became terrified of his friend.

"I'm still her Knight. I help her carry out whatever it is she wants. I know it sounds crazy; as her Knight I should've stopped her from ever becoming that way, right?"

Squall stood directly in front of Zell; his body shaking slightly with the thoughts he had racing through his mind. Zell was frozen stiff.

"The worst part is, I've thought about what would happen should that day come…the day where she loses control and there's no turning back."

The Commander's eyes now locked onto him, Zell slowly stood up and stared right back. He was terrified, but if this conversation was heading where he feared, he'd have to get used to looking at Squall like this. Not for a second had his SeeD training worn off.

 _You can't pick your enemies._

"You go with her, don't you?" he asked, unable to stop the words from coming out. Squall clenched his fists, and his shaking became more apparent.

"I could never bring myself to stop her, Zell. Not before, not after, and there's no way I could ever bring myself to kill her."

"I'm not asking you to kill her. I'm not asking you for anything. I'm _telling_ you that _we_ —you, me, Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, and Selphie—will do everything possible to prevent those visions from coming true." After Zell spoke, he stood up straight and gave Squall a SeeD salute. Instinctually, Squall gave one back.

"When the inevitable happens—" Squall began.

"It's not inevitable," interrupted Zell. They slowly moved their hands to their sides, but remained at attention.

"…Whatever happens…I'm going to do what best serves her," finished Squall.

"I understand," replied Zell.

They stood in silence for a few seconds, and then Zell spoke.

"…Whatever happens…I'll see you on the battlefield, Squall."

There was a new tension in the room. This was Zell's way of telling Squall that _he_ was just as prepared for whatever may come. In a way, Squall's respect grew for him, knowing he was just as much a SeeD as he was, despite his usual demeanor. But, it also meant that Zell was ready to carry out SeeD's true mission. Neither of them wanted that, but their training had taught them that a moment like this might someday come under any kind of circumstance.

"I understand," replied Squall. They remained at attention, staring into each other's eyes, determined to let the other know that they were not backing down from their positions.

Then, the door opened.

"Boys, the fish is—" Ma Dincht didn't know what she'd walked in on, but judging from the distance between Squall and her son, they were either about to fight, or…

"Well, I'll…uh…be downstairs," she said, and quickly closed the door. Neither of them had turned to look at her. Squall slowly stepped back and turned toward the door.

"Zell…this never—"

"I won't tell a soul, Squall."

The Commander looked back over his shoulder and nodded.

"Thanks."

As he went to open the door, Zell ran and grabbed the handle to stop him.

"It's not going to happen, Squall. The six of us, we won't let it." He extended his hand and hoped Squall wouldn't turn down the gesture like he had so often in the past. Squall maintained eye contact with Zell and begrudgingly shook his hand.

"I can't make any promises," he said.

"No one can predict the future, right?" replied Zell, quoting Rinoa's famous words to him. Squall paused for a moment then, and amidst everything that had just taken place, smiled.

"Well said."

"I thought so."

Zell opened the door and gestured for Squall to go first. The Commander entered the stairwell, but then turned back.

"We're…uh, we should talk about this again."

"You got it, Squall."

They nodded at each other and made their way down the stairs.

 _You did it, baby! Zell Dincht, the brawns! You frickin' did it_!

* * *

 _So, we're finally all caught up with our heroes as they are a year later—for the most part._

 _Next few chapters are gonna be...well, you'll see. No likes spoilers, right? lol_

 _Thanks to_ **AllyTodd, LeCritic, and LaylaEvercrest** _for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter,_ **HonorBridge** _for the new follow, and_ **h34t1lly** _as always for beta—ing the ever-loving crap out of these chapters with me lol._

 _Next chapter coming within two weeks or so!_

 _In the meantime, please R I'd love to hear from you all and what you think of the story so far! :D_


	6. People Have A Funny Way Of Changing Time

Chapter 5: People Have A Funny Way Of Changing Time...

* * *

Irvine and Selphie made their way to the coastline near the lighthouse on a small, dinghy rowboat. They would be entering through the back of the orphanage, using the wide-open space of the beach to their advantage to scout out as much of the area as possible. The White Seed ship would be out of plain sight, but Ellone had opened the link between herself, Irvine, and Selphie. She'd be listening to everything going on while they met with their client, and if they sounded like they were in even the slightest bit of trouble, the ship would dock and a battalion of White SeeDs would storm the beach to save them. All in all, it was a solid plan, and Irvine was grateful Edea and Cid had thought to involve them. As they rowed the boat closer to shore, both he and Selphie began to sense a strange presence from within the house.

"Are you junctioned?" asked Irvine.

"To the brim. You got Cerberus on you?" she asked in reply.

"Yeah, hopefully it'll allow you to cast your slot-magic in intervals of two or three."

"It doesn't really work like that—it's all kinda random—but hopefully it'll work, if I gotta use it."

" _Let's hope that doesn't happen, guys,"_ Ellone communicated telepathically.

"Right, of course," Irvine replied aloud.

Neither he or Selphie could communicate telepathically. Out of context, they'd look like they were talking to themselves, but Ellone could hear everything they said through the link.

They were coming up on the shore. The tide washed up over the sand and nestled into the beach quietly, allowing them to pull in easily and come in low through the waters.

"You take the lighthouse, I'll head to the path leading in," whispered Selphie. Irvine nodded and crouched low, before running toward the lighthouse.

Selphie made her way over to the cleared path leading to the back of the orphanage. She hid behind a large rock and tried to get a good look at the inside of the back room. There didn't seem to be anyone in there; no lights were on and no shadows were cast. Matron and Cid hadn't started on this room yet in their renovations, so Selphie was still looking into the room she'd known as a child. She knew it like the back of her hand, down to the last weathered and tattered wall. She crept out from behind her rock and moved in a little closer. She was too close to the wall now to see into the house, so she'd have to either scale it to get a view from another side, or make her way up the path and hope no one was waiting in the back.

While scaling the wall seemed like a good idea, she looked over and could see Irvine had already made his way to the lighthouse and was scouting the place through the scope he'd attached to Exeter. He could give her a better cue as to whether or not it was safe to head up. He could also verify if anyone was there, and if they were a threat. Selphie kept her eyes on him, when she suddenly heard footsteps. She dove down behind the rock from before and got down on the ground.

" _You guys…do you feel that?"_ asked Ellone.

They couldn't respond aloud, but Selphie felt the same presence from before, and it was closer. She was nervous but, while she couldn't figure out why or how she recognized this feeling, it didn't scare or intimidate her. It was, however, overwhelmingly powerful, radiating a magic she had never sensed or faced.

 _What is this?_

From across the beach, Irvine now had the stranger who'd stepped out from the house in sight. He'd seen him before, but he had no idea where. Whoever this man was, he'd been in Irvine's life sometime in the past, perhaps for some time.

" _Irvine, it's him! It's the man who talked to Raine!"_ yelled Ellone _._

"No way, that's impossible," whispered Irvine.

" _What makes it impossible? I recognize this feeling. He must wield some kind of radical form of magic, because I've only felt this way once before, and it was that night!"_

Irvine conceded that he'd only felt _this_ kind of presence once before too, but in a far more dangerous environment.

The stranger moved toward some poorly patio furniture outside of the house, and sat down. He folded his hands onto the table, and then looked directly into the scope of Irvine's rifle. The sharpshooter gasped and dropped his weapon, almost losing his balance from where he'd perched on the lighthouse. He jumped down to pick up his gun and when he looked up, the stranger had moved to the top of the hill, looking down at him from afar. He turned his head to the left, and Selphie peeked her head out. They made eye contact, and he gestured for both of them to come up.

" _What're you waiting for? Go up there!"_ encouraged Ellone.

Selphie and Irvine met in the middle, not knowing what was to come after they'd been made. They were there to pick him up and bring him back to Garden, weren't they? If he invited them up, he was clearly anticipating their arrival. Also, they both felt strongly that they knew him somehow, but hadn't a clue as from where.

"Let's just do it," said Selphie. She took Irvine's hand, and he looked down at her.

"It'll all be okay…I know it."

"Even now, Selphie?" he asked skeptically. She nodded, and began walking toward the house, pulling Irvine behind her.

When they reached the top of the hill, the stranger was sitting down, pouring himself some tea. He turned to the two of them and looked them over with welcoming eyes.

"Want some? It's very soothing, and you two look like you could relax a little. There's no alcohol here, or else I'd offer that, but this works pretty well, too," he said.

"No thanks, I only drink coffee," replied Selphie, who, while being honest, was turning down what her teachings as a SeeD told her may be poison.

"You, cowboy?" he asked Irvine.

"I'm good," he replied. The stranger took a sip from his cup and motioned for them to join him at the table.

"At least sit down; do _something_ to take the edge off. I'm trying to break the tension, but you guys are making it really difficult."

Surprised by how casual he was acting, Irvine and Selphie pulled out two chairs and sat down with him.

He wore a dark gray trench coat that was adorned with black tribal markings. At least they looked like they were specific to some type of culture. The coat didn't fit loosely; it was form fitting and tailored so as not to hinder his movements whatsoever. The cuffs and bottom of the coat were lined with a dark, but very prominent orange and, from where Selphie was sitting, the coat did well to conceal the sheath attached to his right pant leg.

His haircut was…odd. It was slicked back, but unevenly cut. His face bore several cuts from attempts at shaving, she assumed. It was all so disproportionate that it wouldn't be too far-fetched of an idea that he'd try to do all of it with his sword. His skin was fair, to the point where it almost looked like he was sick, and his hair was dark; just on the cusp of black. It didn't seem he'd ever had different colored hair, though. His hair was just, and had always, been that color. While making these observations, both Irvine and Selphie hadn't spoken a word, and neither had the stranger.

"So…you're uh…Irvine and Selphie, right?" he asked. Neither of them was surprised he knew their names. Matron had mentioned she was going to let him know Selphie would be accompanying Irvine there, after all.

"That's right," replied Irvine, "We're here to take you back to Balamb Garden as you requested."

"You're going to be looking out for me while we're there, right?" he asked Irvine.

"Correct," he replied.

The stranger was satisfied with his answer and took another sip of his tea. He turned to Selphie and gave her a soft smile. "I'm just going to have to borrow him for a few days, maybe a little longer. You don't mind, do you? I'll have him back to you once my business is done."

"Did Matron tell you we're together?" asked Selphie quickly.

"Yes," replied the stranger.

Selphie nodded and began rocking back and forth in her seat. A nervous habit she'd developed when she didn't know what else to say; she started whistling a tune: "Eyes On Me" by Julia Heartilly.

"I like that song," remarked the stranger. Selphie abruptly stopped whistling.

"Me too, it's really romantic," she added.

"I heard it's about Laguna Loire. Apparently they had a thing before he went off with Kiros and Ward to Centra and got chased out by Esthar soldiers," the stranger continued.

"You...know your history, huh?" asked Irvine.

"All too well, I'm afraid," he replied.

The three of them went silent again. The stranger poured himself another cup of tea while Selphie went back to whistling. This time she was whistling a very different song. If she had been singing the words, they'd be…

 _Fithos…_

 _Lusec…_

 _Wecos…_

 _Vinosec…_

"That's…an interesting choice," the stranger commented. Selphie realized she'd just been whistling the Sorceress's hymn and turned bright red with embarrassment.

"It's ok. Despite the history associated with it, we'd be lying if we said that melody didn't stick in our heads whenever we hear it, right?"

Irvine nodded.

"…Kind of like a guilty pleasure," he added.

"Exactly," replied the stranger.

Selphie let out a frustrated breath and decided to cut to the chase.

"So what's your name, mister? What do you do for a living? How do you know Matron and Cid? How did you know Irvine's name before forming the contract with Cid? How did you know about Julia, Laguna, or this orphanage? Who thought it'd be funny to give you such an awful haircut?"

"Selphie!" snapped Irvine.

The stranger almost choked on his tea from laughing. He wiped his mouth and placed his cup back on the table.

"No, no, she's right. I've been keeping my identity a secret this whole time and it's probably been driving you both nuts." He stood up and began to collect the tea set.

"I'm going to put these in the sink. You should take a look at the kitchen before we leave. Edea and Cid have done remarkable work on it." The couple couldn't have looked less interested in his offer.

"I'll explain everything I can to the best of my ability in a minute. I don't know if I'll be able to ease your suspicions of me, or my intentions, but I have nothing to hide."

His bluntness took Irvine and Selphie by surprise, and they were unusually accepting of his attitude. Used to it, even, as if they'd talked to him before.

"Please excuse me," he said. He got up and brought his dishes inside, and Selphie turned to Irvine.

"He seems nice," she said.

"What the hell was that barrage of questions you hurled at him, Selph?" whispered Irvine, his irritation coming through despite having close to no timber in his voice.

"Well, you weren't getting any closer to asking him. I watched you rack your brain and even go as far as to disrespect the headmaster over this, and now that we're here, you go soft? You're not all talk, Irvy. If you think you're going to choke, I'll snap you out of it and get you back on track."

Irvine was comforted by her tender scolding of him, and relaxed back into his seat.

"Good thing you weren't there when I took the shot at Matron," he replied.

"I saw that shot; you were dead on," said the stranger as he emerged from the house.

The two of them were startled by his sudden return, and moreover, shocked by his words. He may've come off as charming if everything he said wasn't so unnerving to them.

"Can I answer those questions in reverse, Selphie?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I'll feel more comfortable introducing myself to you after giving you some background on myself and some of my various…exploits. Would that be okay with you?" he asked again.

"You've made _us_ pretty uncomfortable up until now. _Still_ now, actually," interjected Irvine.

"There's no way I could've avoided that without revealing who I am. In case you haven't been able to tell, I'm trying to keep that on the low for now."

"Okay, okay, fine. Answer them backwards, forwards, sideways, whatever! Start talking, would ya?" insisted Selphie.

The stranger marveled at Selphie's attitude and looked toward Irvine.

"I like her," he said.

Irvine didn't take to his compliment, and neither did Selphie.

"...Maybe when we're better acquainted that won't come off as so inappropriate. I'll begin. I cut my own hair with my sword. It cut fine, but in terms of making everything even, as you can tell, I didn't do so well."

"Even your face?" asked Selphie.

"Yes, even my face. That was actually a lot easier then cutting my hair was. Want to see the sword I used? It's one of a kind."

Selphie nodded, wanting to see it. Irvine put his hand inside of his jacket and prepared to draw Exeter at the first sight of trouble.

The stranger unsheathed his sword and held it up in the air. Its blade was a bright, transparent orange, and despite the fact that it was cloudy out, light seemed to pass through it anyway, as if it sought it out from within the darkness. Irvine recognized it was made from the same material as the shard Cid had shown him back in his office—the shard Irvine felt so strongly that he'd seen before.

"Moving on, I know about the orphanage because I used to live here."

Irvine's suspicions of that from the transcript were right.

"When?" the cowboy asked.

"I move in here in about two hundred years or so from now," he replied.

The two of them were stunned into silence.

" _What?!"_ yelled Ellone, from back on the ship.

"I'll uh…continue. Feel free to stop me when you have any questions." He gave them a moment to ask him something, but they just continued to stare at him.

"None? Ok, so, I'd known about Laguna, Julia, Raine, Ward, and Kiros because I'd been…watching them. Well, I didn't mean to, but Edea seemed to grow quite concerned about your efforts while you were going into Timber. She sensed you'd inevitably be making the move to assassinate her. So, when Ellone would send you back and junction your abilities onto Laguna and the others, I occasionally saw what was happening."

 _What the hell is going on?_ thought Irvine.

 _What the heck is going on?_ thought Selphie.

" _Guys! We're coming over!"_

"No!" yelled Irvine.

" _No?"_ responded Ellone.

"Just…just give us a minute." Irvine didn't realize he had appeared to be shouting at the ocean. If the stranger had any idea of how SeeDs strategized though, he'd know there was a ship out in the distance watching them.

He didn't break stride; his confidence showing that he didn't really care, even if he _did_ know.

"I came to know Edea and Cid after the war; after you defeated Ultimecia. I made the first contact, and then we spoke a couple of times to discuss whether or not I should ever visit Garden. That's how I came to know your name too, Irvine. Cid suggested you'd make the best bodyguard, since you're not in charge of the festival like Selphie, an instructor like Quistis and Zell, the Commander like Squall, and…well, Rinoa's not even a SeeD, so that wasn't on the table. They did speak very highly of you six, though. Still do, when we reconnect on occasion."

Irvine finally found his voice and managed to ask a question.

"Why do you need a bodyguard?" he asked.

"I don't _need_ one. I _want_ one so that no one will try to approach me while I'm there. Everyone knows you, you're well liked; they'll listen if you ask them to leave us alone. It'll just make things easier for us."

"Us?" asked Selphie, finding her voice now.

"Yes, you know, the six of you, Cid and Edea, and I." He began rubbing his hands together, growing a little tense about answering the first two of Selphie's questions.

"Okay…alright. What do I do? I'm retired now, but about ten years after I moved in here with my wife, I became her Knight."

"What?!" exclaimed Selphie. The two of them jumped out of their chairs, and Irvine withdrew Exeter and aimed it at the stranger.

"You're a Knight? What kind of Knight?" he demanded, readying his trigger finger.

The stranger sighed and looked at the ground.

"…A Sorceress' Knight," he replied.

Irvine's trigger finger moved into position.

"From the future?" he asked.

"Yes, I am not of this time," replied the Knight.

Irvine didn't want to ask the next question, Selphie less so.

" _Who did he serve?!"_ Ellone shouted. Irvine shook his head for a moment to clear out the fairies and maintain his focus. The Knight from the future still remained eerily calm, although it was clear he bore shame from his admittance of this.

"Good thing I went backwards, huh? Could you imagine if things had started out this way?" he asked, showing he had a knack for poorly timed jokes.

Selphie took a step forward, swallowed her fear, and asked the question Ellone had screamed into their heads.

"…Who did you serve?"

The Knight sighed again, this time raising his hands in the air.

"Please, don't shoot," he asked.

Irvine didn't respond. The Knight seemed frustrated at Irvine's stubbornness, but turned back to Selphie to answer anyway.

"I was Ultimecia's Knight."

 _BANG!_

Irvine pulled the trigger just as he finished speaking. A barrage of bullets shot directly into the Knight's head, throwing him out of his chair and back onto the ground.

"Hyne! Irvine, you killed him!" screamed Selphie, terrified at the sight of the man's face being torn into by multiple shotgun shells.

Irvine reloaded Exeter and urgently pulled Selphie towards him.

"Come on, we're out of here! Ellone, don't come to get us. Pull out of here and steer clear of Balamb. We need to notify Squall and the others that they're not safe there, and…" Irvine's orders were cut short when he heard groaning from where the Knight lay. The man rose up from the ground, his wounds healing as quickly as they'd been made. As he stood up, shotgun shells fell out from where they'd hit him one at a time, and he stumbled forward onto his chair. Slowly regaining energy, he looked up at Irvine and Selphie, whose eyes and mouths were wide open in horror.

"Don't…do that…again. Please?" he asked them.

Irvine dropped his weapon and stared in utter terror at the man who'd just risen from the dead. It was a point blank shot to the face, and he was standing just _seconds_ later, looking as if nothing had happened at all. If anything he looked just a _little_ tired. Selphie jumped back toward Irvine and withdrew Strange Vision.

"Come on…stop it, please. I won't fight back, but you cannot kill me."

Those words were somehow scarier than the fact that he had survived and fully recovered from a shotgun blast. Suddenly, the two of them sensed the same presence they had felt before, the one they swore they'd known. It was coming from him as he picked up his sword from the ground and sheathed it. He looked at them both and decided to answer Selphie's final question.

"Irvine, Selphie, I am Griever, former Knight to Sorceress Ultimecia. I am the reason you defeated her."

* * *

The three of them sat in silence for a good hour on the patio outside of the orphanage. The White SeeD ship had come ashore, and Ellone had joined them at the top of the hill. She sat in an extra seat Griever had retrieved from inside the house. He began to tap his fingers in a rhythmic fashion on the table, trying to break the silence in any way possible. Selphie was not amused.

"Stop that, it's annoying," she pestered. He stopped and laid his hand flat. Irvine sat looking away from the table, trying to make sense of everything that had just taken place over the past few days, let alone the last hour. Ellone on the other hand, decided to break the silence.

"So, it was _you_ who visited Raine and Uncle Laguna all those years ago?" she asked. If she was going to lead the way forward, Irvine and Selphie were game to tag along and focused their attention on the two of them.

"Yes, that was me. I came to deliver my ring to Raine for her to give to Squall. Laguna, as you all know, had no idea she was pregnant at the time, but I did. Raine seemed to understand my plight from what I told her, and took the ring without _shooting me in the face_." He shot a quick glare at Irvine. The sharpshooter just kept staring at him, not sure whether he was sorry or glad that he shot him.

"How did you travel back in time? The only way they were able to go to _your_ time was through time compression," asked Ellone again.

"That's how I did it," he replied. The group looked at him utterly confused. Between having the same name as the GF Ultimecia summoned in their final battle, having given the ring to Raine for Squall to have, and the kicker, him being _Ultimecia's_ _Knight_ , they were going to require more of an explanation than the short answers he was giving.

"I understand you're confused. I'm sure this is a lot to take in, but we don't necessarily have a lot of time. Ask me what you need to answer so that you can trust me." he asked the table.

Irvine and Selphie were silent. Not for a lack of things to ask, but because they both couldn't decide what they wanted to ask first.

Ellone however, was clear.

"Why do we feel like we know you? We could all sense whatever power it is you have as we arrived here, and we all...recognized it. How is that possible?" she asked.

Griever turned to the White SeeD Commander and proceeded to answer.

"Squall's ring is essentially my avatar. It is directly tied to the powers bestowed to me by Ultimecia. He's had it since birth, and you've known him practically your whole lives. The semblance of my power that he's carried with him his whole life has resonated from him as mine does. By association, you've known me all your lives as well. Perhaps you a little more, Ellone, since for a very short time, we were in the same room."

Irvine and Selphie turned to their childhood friend and saw her nod, understanding every word.

"And you traveled back to our time through time compression to give her the ring? If time compression was initiated once before...does that mean we've fought the same battle more than once?"

The Knight nodded, impressed with Ellone's putting the pieces together in her head.

"In the timeline that Ultimecia created by sending herself back with Junction Machine Ellone, you all figured out the secret to time compression and traveled to the future to fight her. Whether you won or not, is something I don't know, because it was upon your arrival that I fled that world."

His words were greeted with blank stares, to which Griever sought to help understand further.

"The world you live in, that you all believe to be the present, is a result of ripple effects made by Ultimecia's multiple attempts to possess Edea. At some point, she'd altered the past enough so that the chain of events that led to _our_ present would not occur. When that happens, we learned, an alternate timeline is created, and both realities play out parallel to each other."

Irvine shifted uncomfortably in his seat before managing to piece together a question for the Knight.

"So, where do you come in to all of this? Why'd you come back here to, _supposedly_ , help us defeat Ultimecia, when you were her Knight?" he asked. The sharpshooter's more straightforward approach, though condescending, confirmed Griever had made the right choice in picking him to be his bodyguard while here.

"Have you ever followed someone's orders blindly, Irvine?" he asked. The sharpshooter tsked and looked away from him. He didn't want to answer; he didn't want to say anything that might give him and _Ultimecia's Knight_ something in common.

"Well, I have. We lived in a different world, and should a woman have been unfortunate to inherit the former Sorceress's powers, her days were numbered…"

The Knight took in a deep breath before continuing.

"Understand, there is no second and final Sorceress war in my time—they just kept happening one after another. Adel wasn't sealed; she was killed by the Galbadian army, and the power she possessed transferred itself to another woman. SeeD was formed thereafter—I don't know by whom, but it certainly wasn't Cid and Edea—as a special tactics force, and the Gardens served as their base of operation. They took no prisoners; _no one_ stood in their way when it came to taking out the Sorceress. Hundreds of women and their Knights, if they had one, were slaughtered, along with any people who'd vowed to serve them. This cycle went on for _hundreds_ of years.

"When the fates bestowed my wife with that accursed power, we fled, hoping to find a place where we could hide and live out our lives alone, in peace. We discovered this place, and hid away here for ten some-odd years...before we were found."

Griever rose from his seat, and looked out over the beach, taking in the sight of clusters of White SeeDs attentively waiting for directions on what to do next.

"You can put the pieces together after that. When the woman I loved became who you know her as, Ultimecia, I allowed her to change me as well, and the man you see before you fought with everything he had to protect her. After centuries of SeeD hunting down Sorceresses to procure the safety of humanity, we didn't have any sympathizers. Society as a whole backed Garden and their all-or-nothing way of destroying people like us. So, after SeeD fell, so did the ones they sought to protect…" He turned his back to them and began to walk inside.

"I'm not proud of the things I did, but I had to do it to protect her." He looked back at the three warriors for a moment before finishing.

"Do you know anyone else like that?" he asked.

The looks on their faces were answers enough, and he walked back into the house. When they heard the faucet running from the kitchen, the three of them immediately turned to each other, all with the same person in mind.

"Cid and Matron were telling the truth..." said Selphie slowly.

"Maybe…" a skeptical Irvine added.

"So, he's not really here to help Rinoa, he's here to help...Squall?" Ellone asked the group.

"Precisely." The three of them looked up as the Knight returned to the table with a large glass of water in hand.

"I have no tangible memories of my life before I changed. I don't remember who we were, but I know that we were happy. Our love for one another was the one thing that trumped our constant fear of persecution. It was also my rationale for...everything."

Selphie tilted her head to the side, examining the man from the future curiously.

"You keep saying that: 'Before you changed'. Do you mean you and Ultimecia used to be...like us?" she asked, a trace of sympathy in her voice. Irvine was hesitant to sympathize, but paid close attention to their clients response. Griever nodded, and a sorrowful look of guilt washed over his face. He looked away from her, as if to collect himself, then continued.

"We had different names before; different identities. In our time spent hiding, she'd learned to hone and control her powers quite well, and when we suspected SeeD had found us, we knew we didn't have much time. We changed ourselves into the very things SeeD had feared Sorceresses and Knight's past would become, but unlike the propaganda they so richly spread and believed in, we weren't fighting to _kill_. We were fighting to protect ourselves. It was retaliation, not a pre-emptive strike."

"You make the SeeD from your time sound pretty awful," Irvine remarked, skeptical to Griever constantly referring back to that, as if it was _their_ fault for what he and Ultimecia had done.

The Knight was quick to answer his would-be bodyguard.

"Consider the idea that Adel was defeated by an army, rather than a rebellion led by Laguna, of all people. Consider that the ones who struck her down weren't there by happenstance, but because they _planned_ it. The war didn't end with a kindhearted man and his two friends closing off their borders to rebuild the country Adel had manipulated, nor did it end with the threat of a new Sorceress all but forgotten. Edea's sudden arrival on the world stage here was just that, sudden, unexpected. In my time, the Sorceress was a constant threat to humanity, and the fear Adel had generated during the war led the people to believe all Sorceresses were like her. That was the mindset the two of us were faced with. You can imagine my surprise when after Ultimecia _finally_ managed to possess Edea, I saw all of you acting...well, like you." Griever turned to face the sea, reflecting upon his last words.

"I think that's what set my defecting from her into motion…" Melancholy, he rubbed the sides of his head to try and focus.

"Are you ok, Griever?" asked Ellone.

 _Great, she's on his side now, too?_

Irvine was starting to feel more and more alone in his continued suspicions of the giant man. He knew Selphie had a softspot, and Griever's would-be tragic tale was fodder for someone who had a little more faith in humanity than the average person. Ellone, however, had been caught dead in the middle of Adel _and_ Ultimecia's Sorceress Wars. She'd experienced the lows people would sink to from an entirely different perspective. It made it all the more surprising to Irvine that after all of that, and even now as a soldier, she was beginning to let down her guard around this man.

"I wasn't sure what we were doing, I just knew she wanted to do it. She had a plan, but I didn't know what it was, and frankly, I didn't care. When it came to light that Edea had a hand in raising all of you at one point, I needed to know what we stood to gain from all of the bloodshed. Then came the battle of the Gardens.

"She'd driven out the Galbadian SeeDs, and you all fought against the military. So many were killed; I didn't understand why she thought this necessary. When you all realized something was wrong with Edea—that you weren't talking to your Matron—you fought her, but you held back. I watched SeeD fight to _neutralize_ a Sorceress, not kill her. That's when Ultimecia forcibly transferred Edea's powers onto Rinoa, and that's when I snapped.

"My wife had perpetuated the very cycle that had consumed us in that moment. It was what had driven us to a life neither of us ever wanted. I called out to her, and it was as if she hadn't heard my voice in years. I couldn't even believe what I was feeling, but it was there; it felt like a fog had lifted from my mind. She revealed her plans to compress time by reaching you, Ellone, and how she'd seen the relationship developing between Rinoa and Squall. She planned to use her to manipulate him, along with the rest of you, into finding Ellone, and once she initiated time compression...well, you know the rest."

Irvine's mouth hung open, stunned. Griever's recalling of the fight—their intentions, their motives, and their conflict over it all—was what drove him to defy the role he thought he was meant to play. It was Squall evolving from a SeeD who never questioned orders, to the Commander who learned to be a great leader from someone who, frankly, _always_ questioned orders. The young man they'd come to know, respect, and love, was further empowered by the ring he wore on his hand. All the talk of Squall being destined to lead Balamb during the war; to be the one to defeat Ultimecia as well as protect Rinoa, was set in motion by the man who'd lived through darker days than any of them could imagine.

"So...Rinoa's coma, that wasn't part of her plan, was it?" the sharpshooter asked. Griever shook his head, and a shy smile came to his face.

"Ultimecia was too busy trying to stop me from escaping the castle. Her servants—the monsters you all fought to regain your abilities—chased me through each and every hall, until I escaped into the world below. I didn't know what to do, so I wandered through the tattered remains of the world I'd helped destroy. I couldn't bring myself to kill her—I still loved her—I had no idea what my next move was; I just drifted aimlessly for what felt like forever.

"Then, you all arrived. I saw you just outside the front steps of the castle. I couldn't believe you had made it, but I knew, even as powerful as you'd all become, you wouldn't be able to defeat her. Luckily, the path you'd traveled to our world enabled me to go back in time and give Raine my ring to aid Squall, and therefore the rest of you, in your journey. And...well, here we are…"

The three SeeDs had fallen completely silent. The full scale of Griever's journey was one entirely too large to comprehend. Before this moment they would've _never_ imagined Ultimecia could've ever been a normal woman before becoming what they knew her as. Griever spoke of it as a cycle, one that had driven him and Ultimecia into nearly eviscerating all of existence. Was the cycle broken now that she was gone?

"I made it a point to tell you my motives for serving Ultimecia for a reason…" he stated. The three of them snapped to attention, and Ellone quickly took the floor.

"Cid and Matron said you were here because of what's been happening with Rinoa," she said.

"How do you all feel about her 'incidents'?" the Knight asked. The three of them fell silent. Selphie and Irvine both knew how they felt; it'd all come out back in Balamb, but after hearing Griever's story, they didn't know if they were afraid of what might happen, or if should prepare for what would _inevitably_ happen.

Ellone, on the other hand, didn't know as much about them. What she _did_ know, was that Squall had jumped out into vastness of space to save her. He had no plan for what they would do even if he found her, but he went anyway. He went out there, and he _found_ her. He went out there, and he _saved_ her. No matter what would come there way, Squall would do whatever it took to protect her, and he would _not_ fail.

"What's down the road, Griever?" asked Irvine ominously. The Knight shrugged and turned to face the sharpshooter.

"My experience has been that what fate has in store for us is all relative. Some things, however, can _not_ be avoided. Rinoa's power will continue to develop at the unpredictable rate it has so far. Squall will follow her down whichever path she chooses—regardless if there's room for any of you on that path. As it stands, the cycle will continue, and their bond as a whole will grow stronger and stronger. The variable in all of this, is what will that mean for the rest of the world?

"Squall may follow Rinoa no matter where she goes, but it doesn't have to be so he can protect her from something, or someone. Rinoa's powers may fully develop, to the point where she's as powerful as Ultimecia was, but that doesn't mean she'll use them to hurt others. The road _we_ take in our efforts to help them is the one thing we can be sure of. Cid and Edea didn't hide that I'm here to help her. In spite of everything that's happened, and all of the doubts you may've harbored since this all began, you still came because you want to help them."

The Knight rose from his seat, and the three SeeDs leaned back to take in his full stature. He was around Irvine's height, but his physique was bulky, with a solid upper chest and hulking shoulders. If Irvine had to place where he'd seen at least a _similar_ build before, it was only once in his entire life.

 _The GF we fought with Ultimecia; lanky, but terribly strong. If that was summoned from Squall's mind, does that mean this man can_ become _that?_

It was a question to be asked another time, because whether he could or not didn't change why he was there.

"The world is in peacetime, but it's fragile, and all eyes are on your friends. Let's make it so that they see the best side of them; who we know they really are. I'm asking for your help, but more importantly, I'm asking you to trust me. Will you take me to Garden so we can end this cycle of madness once and for all?"

Without a word, Ellone stood up, and saluted Griever. Selphie saw her friend swear her loyalty to him in that moment, and, the consummate soldier she was, followed suit. Griever nodded in thanks, and then turned to Irvine. Slowly, the sharpshooter rose from his seat, and gave him the salute as well.

"We're with you, Griever. We'll end our friends suffering, and yours too!" Ellone declared.

Selphie saw something in her peripheral, and turned to look out over the beach.

"Looks like they're game, too," she said, gesturing out to the sands. The four of them turned and saw the White SeeDs who were awaiting further instruction from Ellone following their Commander's example, saluting, and therefore swearing their allegiance, to the Knight.

"Thank you," he replied quietly, touched by their acceptance of him. They brought their arms down to their sides and awaited their client's next decision.

"Shall we be on our way, then? I know in the contract it said something about four days until we get back, but, now that you understand what's at stake, I think you'll agree we need to move fast."

Ellone signaled to the other SeeDs to prepare to set sail, and they quickly scurried off from the shores and back onto the boat.

"I'll be waiting for you all down on the ship," said Ellone. She jumped down from the ledge and swiftly ran to the boat upon landing.

"Need to get anything before we go?" Selphie asked their new partner. Griever noticed Irvine was examining him from under the brim of his hat. Fully aware of Irvine's continued suspicions of him, he tried to dismiss Selphie as subtly as possible.

"Just the gil I promised for Edea and Cid. Irvine, will you help me grab the bags?" The sharpshooter nodded, and walked up from behind Selphie.

"We'll be down in a minute, Sefie." Selphie smiled and nodded before rushing down the steps back to the boat, leaving Irvine and Griever alone by the back entrance to the orphanage.

The two men sized up the other. Not with the intent of fighting, but to take note of every little detail of the person that would be by their side throughout this endeavor.

"What happens if this doesn't work?" asked Irvine bluntly. The Knight held his head up and folded his arms across his chest.

"Have some faith. Everything's worked out so far, hasn't it?" he replied. Irvine couldn't deny what was outright true.

"What'll happen to you if it _does_ work, then?" he followed up.

"I don't know," Griever replied.

"You don't know?"

Griever shrugged, and turned back to grab a bag from inside the doorway.

"This has all come about from a single moment of clarity, Irvine. Nothing I've done has had much concern for what'll happen to _me_. It's the last of my concerns, to be quite honest."

"If that's supposed to make me trust you..."

Griever sighed as he hoisted the duffle bag of gil onto his shoulder.

"In time, you'll come to trust me. But for now, I need you to protect me."

 _That's the nicest way someone's ever told me to just "do my job."_

In accordance with Griever's request, the sharpshooter reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a manila envelope from inside.

"Then maybe you should take a look at this…" Irvine handed his client the missing persons report filed the day after he'd gone to Winhill. Griever looked it over, and his expression grew deathly serious upon seeing who had filed it.

"I didn't know there was a paper trail…" he said ominously.

The two quickly turned their heads to the sea; the sails on the White SeeD ship had gone up.

"Let me guess, we'll talk about it later?" asked Irvine. Griever couldn't help but laugh at his bodyguard's dry delivery.

"If it's any consolation, it _will_ be addressed. I'm not trying to miss our ride, though," the Knight joked back. Irvine relented, and began walking down the hill, already assuming his position as the man's bodyguard, staying directly in front of him at all times. He wanted to be as supportive of this as Ellone and Selphie seemed to be, but Griever's aversion to—or even flat out inability to answer his questions made it hard for him to let his guard down. He simply had to place his faith in the man, like he'd asked him too.

"Oh, before I forget." Irvine turned back to address his client, who took note of the sharpshooter's uncomfortable expression.

"...Sorry...you know, for shooting you." Griever smiled and patted his bodyguard firmly on the shoulder.

"Dont...worry about it. Save your ammo, though. We're in peacetime; don't pull the trigger unless you have to," joked Griever.

With that, Irvine feigned a smile and turned to continue towards the ship.

 _Peacetime...it was a nice distraction..._

* * *

 _Big shoutout to **h34rt1lly** , **Ally Todd** , **LaylaEvercrest** , and **LeCritic** for sticking with this story and following me on this crazy journey I've set out on! Let me know what you all think in the reviews! I'm happy to see so many people are reading this; I hope you're enjoying yourselves :D  
_


	7. Mimic See, Mimic Do

**Chapter 6: Mimic see, Mimic do…better**

* * *

Dinner should have been more awkward at the Dincht residence. After Squall and Zell had promised each other that they'd either be side-by-side, or face-to-face on the battlefield, one would imagine that things would be at least _a_ _little_ tense. For the two SeeDs however, it had brought perspective as to where they stood regarding the danger of Rinoa's powers. Neither of them wanted things to come to a head, and both would do everything in their power, together, to stop it from happening. Should it come to fruition though, they were both crystal clear about the paths they would take.

It was one of the few qualities that allowed Squall and Zell to remain friends after working so well together during the war. There was an understanding of their responsibilities as SeeDs, and how it took precedence over everything in their life. Squall wore that on his sleeve, making it hard for anyone to think that there was more to him, while Zell kept it under wraps with his playful energy and enthusiasm. It worked well as a mental sucker punch during combat. Zell was more appreciative of their dynamic, but in light of the subject they'd just finished discussing, Squall had a newfound respect for his friend to say the least.

"So…you two seem awfully calm. If I hadn't known any better, I'd have thought you were at each other's throats when I came upstairs," blurted out Ma Dincht. Zell was quick to offset his mother's suspicions.

"Balancing the budget is a pain, Ma. Since we got back, it just feels like all of the problems in Garden need to be solved with money we haven't got. Ain't that right, Squall?"

Squall looked up from his plate halfway through cutting a piece of fish. He wasn't ready to participate in a conversation with _two_ Dincht's. He figured since Ma Dincht was feeding him though, he should at least try.

"That's…actually a pretty good analogy. A year ago, I couldn't imagine stressing so much over money."

"That's just part of being an adult, hun. You'll get used to it, although I'm sure balancing a budget for a place like Garden is much more difficult than just a household's," replied Ma Dincht.

Squall nodded in agreement and took another bite of his fish. Balamb fish was so good that it drew groans of enjoyment from someone even as stoic as him.

"This is delicious, as always, Mrs. Dincht," he said.

"Thank you! I made plenty, so you can bring anything left back to Garden with you. I bet that little sweetie pie of yours would like some, wouldn't she?"

Zell grimaced, hoping his mom would notice and take it as a cue not to talk about Rinoa. It seemed she was all but oblivious to his abhorrent facial expressions; intent on getting Squall to talk about his sweetheart.

"…Yeah, she loves it. The fish in Timber is kind of plain, so when I bring this back, I'll definitely earn some brownie points for a few days," he replied.

Zell turned to the other side of the table pleasantly surprised; Squall had just uttered the phrase "brownie points." Squall, the lone wolf SeeD who smiled _once_ during the war—at the very end of it, after everyone had had their share of drinks—talked about earning "brownie points" from his girlfriend, in hopes of being in her favor. Squall cared what someone else thought of him, a _lot_.

 _Geez…no wonder he's so adamant about the future…_

"That's so cute," embellished Ma Dincht. "How is that little angel doing, anyway? I could talk to her all day and listen to her stories about busting your chops and 'chipping away at your hard head.' It's adorable."

"Ma! Give the guy some breathing room, for Hyne's sake!" exclaimed Zell. She may've "missed" Zell's facial cues before, but now it was clear she was deliberately ignoring him, much to his chagrin.

Squall took another bite of fish, nodding his head while chewing to buy time before answering.

"She's good. Still kind of adjusting to life in the Garden. She's not a SeeD, so…"

"Oh, enough about SeeD!" interrupted Ma Dincht. "Tell me about _Rinoa_ , dear; leave work out of the conversation for just a minute."

Squall took a sip of his water and slowly placed it back down.

 _Well, I'm pretty sure her powers are going to drive her mad, and when that happens all hell will break loose._

"She's been working hard at…getting me to open up. Not a lot necessarily, but, like you said, she's chipping away at me...I guess."

 _I can't tell if my sanity is slowly slipping or if this is what true love feels like. I don't know the answer, but I know if I can't stop her from changing, I'll join her in whatever she decides to do. The very worst things imaginable will be carried out by both of us, and I won't have any second thoughts about it in those moments._

"And to think, that girl is the Sorceress now. Boy, how times change," their hostess reflected.

Both Zell and Squall stared at the Dincht Matriarch, unsure how to process how casually a civilian had talked about the Sorceress. Was her ability to discuss it so freely a good sign? Maybe Rinoa didn't have so much to fear from the public as her and Squall had—

"I remember when Adel was the Sorceress. Esthar was so far away, but _everyone_ was worried about the idea of her taking over the world. Those searches for an heiress didn't help anything, either! It brought the fears right to our doorsteps!" she continued.

Zell and Squall remained silent.

 _Rinoa seems to look for an heiress in her visions, too…_

"Now, the former Sorceress is the Headmaster of Garden's wife, and the current one is the Commander of SeeD's girlfriend! Both are wonderful people, but Rinoa...oh, what a delight!" She turned her attention to her son, snapping out of her affections, and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Ow! Ma, what the hell?" he exclaimed.

"Why can't you find a girl like that? Find yourself a Rinoa, already! Squall, you're one lucky guy!"

Zell rolled his eyes at his mother's umpteenth insistence he settle down.

 _Geez, I should just take her to Garden and ask the Dinkies to line up for her. She'll pick one, I'll oblige, and I'll stop hearing about this every time I come home._

Squall nodded in thanks to Zell's mother.

 _I agree that I'm lucky, that's for sure. But, finding someone like Rinoa has been a blessing and a curse. I'm only willing to acknowledge the first part of that, though._

"Hey, you're both doing that thing where you don't talk when you're thinking! Stop that, Squall; we talk at this table. And you, Zell! What're you staring at on the wall? It's blank space! Don't tell me you picked up on his habit now, too!" she scolded.

They both snapped out of their trances and were tripping over "Uhs" and "Ums" like their shoelaces were untied.

Ma Dincht threw her arms in the air, giving up on pulling a decent conversation out of the two young men.

"You're only eighteen, sometimes I forget that," she laughed to herself. "Carry on as you were. I'm turning in early."

Zell, despite the chance of getting smacked by her again, tried to reel her back in.

"You sure, Ma? You haven't heckled us about what we did at Jack's junk shop earlier today. Don't you wanna know how it went?"

"You strike a bargain?" she asked, sounding tired.

"No…" replied Zell quietly.

"Then I already knew how things went. Goodnight, boys. Say hi to Rinoa for me, Squall."

"Ok," he replied. Zell tapped him on the arm and Squall darted his eyes at him until he followed up.

"Dude, she's going to bed," Zell whispered.

 _Whoops_

"Uh, goodnight, Mrs. Dincht," he blurted out. She laughed and then closed the door behind her.

Zell sat back in his chair and rubbed his belly that was jam packed with fish.

"I hope cooking didn't take too much out of her," he said. Squall nodded and took another bite of his food.

"She's been going to bed earlier and earlier lately. Ma used to be a night owl; she stayed up late to make sure I'd go to bed and not sneak out. Now, she's petering out at the end of the day like a waning tailwind."

Squall was impressed with Zell's analogy. That was two for today; he must've been doing more in the library lately than just messing around with his co-eds.

"What do you think? Am I worried about nothing?" he asked Squall.

Squall had a mouth full of food, but had stopped chewing in an attempt to answer.

"Um…"

"Finish eating, man. You don't have to drop what you're doing and answer someone right away to have a normal conversation," Zell playfully remarked.

 _Thanks coach_.

He picked up his glass of water and washed down his food. When he put down his silverware, he did his best to ease Zell's worries.

"Well, you're at Garden all the time, and…she probably worried a lot about you while we were fighting. Maybe now that she can relax, she is?"

Zell clapped his hands for Squall's attempt at holding a conversation.

"Not bad, Leonhart," he joked.

Squall rolled his eyes and picked up his plate to bring to the kitchen.

"I'm sure it's nothing," he continued.

Zell nodded.

"Maybe I'll ask her to see Dr. Kadowaki anyway, just to be sure."

"Sounds reasonable." Squall came back and began wrapping up the leftover fish.

"Leave some for me, man," insisted Zell. Squall took half of the fish he'd rounded up and put it back on the table.

"That's barely a day's worth!" protested Zell.

"Learn to control your eating habits," replied Squall. "Besides, Rinoa's only eaten cafeteria food since she's been holing up in our room lately. A few days worth of your mom's fish will really cheer her up."

Squall pushed in his chair and put the wrapped fish into a bag.

"Also, you saw her in her underwear," he added, half joking, half still kind of mad about it.

"Hyne, if I let you raid my fridge, will you drop that?" asked Zell.

"I'm only joking," Squall replied quietly. Zell began clapping again.

Squall looked back at him confused.

"Now what?"

"Squall Leonhart made a joke. You made a funny! When I tell Rinoa, she's gonna flip! You made a joke, got the rings fixed up, and brought back fish? Dude, you're gonna get so much—"

The Commander immediately shot daggers at Zell, demanding he not finish that sentence.

"…Uh, brownie points?"

Squall smacked Zell in the back of the head.

"That's not even grammatically correct," he scolded.

"Hey, I didn't say the other thing!"

Squall smacked him again, and Zell held the back of his head tenderly. All three times he'd been bopped in the head within the past five minutes had hit the same place.

"What is it with people hitting me today?!"

They stepped out onto the streets of Balamb, just in time to catch the sun setting over the docks. Zell took in a deep breath of the seaside air, and admired the sight with pride.

"Man, I never get sick of that sunset. Irvine keeps egging me on to bring a Dinkie here. I'm not looking to cash in on my celebrity status, but comparing a girl's eyes to the 'Balamb Sunset' is a great way to seal the deal for the night."

Squall rolled his eyes.

"I'd expect that from him before he got together with Selphie. Sounds like he's trying to live vicariously through you."

"Heh, I've got even _better_ lines than that one. During the war, I had to stay focused. But it's peacetime now, baby! I can relax and just do what I do best," he said as he intertwined his fingers and cracked them by pushing out his palm.

"Annoy the crap out of people?" Squall deadpanned.

"Hey, you call it annoying, but the ladies call it fun and exciting."

Squall gave Zell an odd look, taking slight issue with his newfound ego. He also saw a part of Zell that may've been dormant during the war due to another reason.

"You know who you sort of sound like right now?"

Zell shrugged.

"Seifer," said Squall bluntly, knowing it would eat at Zell to be compared to him.

"The hell? That's not true!"

Squall nodded and continued.

"He kept his pants on, but romanticizing what's essentially you being a jackass is right out of his book."

Zell calmed down and scratched the side of his head uncomfortably.

"Guess I got carried away with that. No one likes a braggart," he admitted.

"Sorry to be the one to put you in your place," Squall replied, a hint of sympathy in his tone.

Zell nodded and looked back at the sunset.

"He's still got asylum in Esthar, right?"

"He will until Laguna says otherwise, or when the world forgives him. Until then, he's traveling all over the Great Plains Of Esthar and slaying monsters left over from the Lunar Cry."

Zell felt that was a fitting punishment for the bastard.

"You talk about him so calmly, now."

"Who, Seifer?" asked Squall.

"Yeah, but Laguna, too."

Squall always grew a little tense at the mention of his father outside of a professional context.

"That's a discussion for another day," he replied softly.

"Hey, just noticed, is all," replied Zell.

Squall looked over at Jack's Junk Shop and thought about the rings.

"Jack said he'd need a few days to fix the rings, right?" asked Squall.

"Yeah, he's gonna have to scour the earth to find some of the other metals in your ring. Rinoa knows that I couldn't make a perfect replica; fixing hers up will be a piece of cake. There's some metals in yours though that I could only find in archeology textbooks. And that's not even all of them. Under a microscope, your ring looks like it's from another planet."

Squall smiled at the idea that his beloved ring, which he only shared with Rinoa, was more than just special to _him_ ; it was unique to the world, too.

"Not exactly what I imagined Griever looking like, you know, during our final fight?"

"Oh no?" asked Zell.

Squall shook his head.

"It was a little skinny for being 'the ultimate GF,' don't you think? I always imagined it embodying true, brute strength; immeasurable power. After Ultimecia junctioned onto it...I don't know. A part of me didn't believe that was the _real_ Griever."

Zell looked at Squall oddly after that last sentence.

"The _real_ Griever? I thought it was just a ring, and what we fought was, like, an idea."

Squall grimaced and hoisted the bag over his shoulder.

"Forget it, it wouldn't make sense even if I told you."

Zell shrugged and looked back at the sunset one last time.

"Hey man, let's just enjoy this, huh? It's only a few more minutes."

"You want to drive back to Balamb in the dark?" asked Squall.

"Dude, we could walk if we wanted. We've got nothing to be afraid of here, of all places," laughed Zell.

Squall obliged, figuring it was no big deal if they got back a little later then he'd promised Rinoa. Though, if he were to be honest with Zell, he'd rather hurry back to Garden and take Rinoa to the roof so _they_ could watch it together. The fish was also starting to smell funny, which wasn't any help.

"Nature is really something, huh Squall?" remarked Zell. Squall looked up as the sun set behind the hills far to the west in Dollet. The twilight illuminated the clouds moving overhead, and they could see them breaking apart in the wind, leaving long strands of nimbus between them.

"It's nice," Squall replied simply.

The light reflected off of the windows of the hospital. Faust had a room with a view of the docks, so he was probably watching this, too.

Squall looked to where he thought his student's room was from outside of the building, and saw someone standing in the window. From the vague outline he could make out, it appeared to be Faust.

Standing up.

"Hey, is that Faust in that window?" he asked Zell, pointing toward the hospital.

Zell looked up and nodded.

"Looks like him. How's he standing, though? I know his leg is almost healed, but he's probably going to be in a wheelchair until he first gets back to Garden. That's standard procedure with this stuff, right?"

Squall nodded, growing more curious while he tried to get a better look at his student.

Faust turned and looked right at the two of them and jumped back, obviously startled to see them.

"Huh? What's he so spooked about?" asked Zell. They watched as he looked back toward where his bed would be, and then reached to his side to grab a chair. He hurled it through the window and leapt out onto the ground.

"What the hell? Faust, what're you doing?!" yelled Zell. The boy turned to look at them, his expression blank. They took a step forward, confused as to what would motivate his strange behavior. Then, his left eye slid down the side of his face and nestled into his cheek.

"WHAT?!" screamed Zell. The door to the hospital opened and another Faust, this one with his eyes in place, ran out with a gunblade. He swiped at the Faust that'd jumped out of the window and missed. The other Faust's face continued to look as if it were melting, but upon artfully dodging Faust's attack, leapt forward and kicked him back through the doorway.

"Whoa! We've got a situation here!" exclaimed Zell as he punched his fists together and immediately started junctioning. He junctioned Ifrit, Carbuncle, and Cerberus, and focused his magic into his strength, vitality, and speed. He'd be able to hit as hard and fast as possible, and then take any counterattacks with no problem. The imposter Faust got to its feet and hauled off toward the dock, its form changing with each step.

"Better junction before it gets away, Squall!" Zell advised, the veins in his arms starting to show more and more prominently.

"Go after it! I need to check on Faust, first!" ordered the Commander.

Without delay, Zell darted after the creature, winding up a meteor strike for when he caught it. Squall ran over to Faust and lifted his head off the ground.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Commander! That was the thing Mr. Dincht and the others saw yesterday! It's a Mimic! I came back from a check up and it was in my room putting on a hospital gown!"

 _A Mimic?_

Squall had only heard of those in fairy tales and lore of mages from thousands of years ago. How was it possible something like that was real, let alone here? Squall shook his head and quickly turned his attention back to Faust.

"Where did you get that gunblade?" he asked.

Faust's worry quickly switched from the Mimic to whether or not he was going to get in trouble.

"I…brought it with me when you brought me here. I...occasionally practice with it at night…"

While a part of him was impressed with Faust's dedication, the Commander was angrier with his prized student for breaking Garden rules. Shelving the instinct to lecture his student, Squall only grimaced. It was more important to deal with the matter at hand.

"Get back inside; let us handle this. You're not even junctioned, and we're gonna talk about this violation when I get back," commanded Squall.

"Commander, I am junctioned!"

Squall snapped.

"What?! You snuck GF's here, too?!"

Faust was disappointed in himself, but insisted on arguing his circumstance.

"Just one, sir! The control panel in my laptop had one stored for when I was preparing to take the fire cavern exam. It's only a basic GF, the standard low-level Quezacotl!"

Faust had revealed he'd violated Garden code twice, even if one of them was by accident. Before he could lean into Faust for breaking the rules, though, the ground shook beneath them. An impact that was very similar to that of Zell's Meteor Strike sent tremors throughout the town. Squall had come to know this particular phenomenon from when the attack missed.

"I need to get down there. Go back inside, now!"

"Sir, I…"

" _Now_ , Faust!"

Thoroughly humiliated—although no one was watching them what with the battle taking place on the dock—Faust turned with his tail between his legs and walked back into the hospital. Squall felt bad, but as he turned his attention to the docks, he unsheathed Lionheart and ran to where Zell was fighting the creature.

He focused, junctioning Diablos, Pandemona, and Doomtrain, and channeled his magic into his strength, magic, speed, and HP. He extracted the command Darkside from Diablos, and junctioned multiple spells to his elemental and status defenses. He'd be able to hit hard, and protected from any elemental or status spells.

Running past the crowd of people that'd gathered near the docks, he saw Zell going toe to toe with an enigmatic figure in a black and yellow cloak, adorned in red, orange, and gold jewelry. It moved with an unusual lucidity, and whenever Zell managed to land a hit, it would return the strike in almost the exact same fashion. Despite not having the footwork or pacing Zell did when it came to hand-to-hand combat, it's unique ability to instantaneously work his abilities against him were turning the fight in its favor.

Squall prepared to strike from above with a prominent Darkside, then switch to a Water spell since they were right on the docks, and Diablo's boost to his magic would enhance its power further. He leapt into the air, Lionheart engrossed by a dark energy, when the Mimic saw him. Zell struck a critical Dolphin Blow, sending the creature upwards. Before it could fall back down though, it then performed the Dolphin Blow itself, albeit a little weaker, and hit Squall dead on. He fell straight down right from where he was struck. Zell jumped up to grab him, but before they could return to the ground, the Mimic's hands became engrossed in dark energy, and he attacked _them_ with Darkside. They were both smacked into the concrete, but immediately got back to their feet. They were hurt, but were able to shrug off the pain thanks to their junctions.

The Mimic landed about fifteen feet away from them completely still, anticipating their next move.

"It can't take both of us if we come at it from different angles, at the same time," said Zell.

"We just did that; it used our exact moves seconds after we performed them. I hadn't even used Darkside yet, and it already knew how to imitate it," replied Squall, holding his right shoulder.

"You okay?" asked Zell.

"I didn't junction vitality. It's just sore, nothing we can't heal afterwards."

"Want me to cast Protect?"

"No, it'll cast it on itself if we use it."

"Why you just use Dispel on it, then?"

"Because then it'll use it on us. What is it about a 'Mimic' that you don't understand?" Squall quipped.

Zell rolled his eyes out frustration, and was preparing to charge back at the eerily still creature, until Squall held up his hand to stop him.

"I'll try status magic. I'll junction…wait, damn, I've got Pain channeled into my magic. Do you have it?" asked Squall.

"No way, that spell creeps me out. Look, if your magic is junctioned, I think we're better off risking it using Protect on itself and I'll just do what I can until you start casting spells," replied Zell.

Squall didn't like that they were basing their decision on something so unpredictable, but despite this creature being weaker than them, it posed a threat they'd never faced before. They didn't have any other options since it was only the two of them.

"Ok, I'm casting Protect!" yelled Zell.

Squall rolled his eyes.

"Say it louder, I don't think it heard you." Zell ignored Squall's comment and double-casted Protect on them.

"Wait, when did you cast double?" asked Squall, his eyebrows furrowed.

"When I was running down here. Why?"

The Mimic waved its hand in the air and double-casted Aero on them. It had managed to imitate that as well, even though it'd been running from Zell when he'd used it. Using a spell that they had yet to use in battle, it also showed that it had the capacity to fight outside of the perimeters of its opponent's. Zell was blown back by serrated gales of wind, but Squall absorbed the magic thanks to his junction.

"So, you're more than just a copycat, huh?!" Squall taunted the creature. The Mimic single-cast protect on itself, then began winding up another double spell.

 _Damn, I better get moving._

Squall held his left hand out as he rushed in with his gunblade waving in his right. The Mimic cancelled the spell and revealed its right arm from underneath its cloak. What looked like just a regular person's arm in a yellow sleeve quickly morphed into a gunblade almost identical to Lionheart, but with a thinner blade that had a green tint instead of Squall's light blue. Their weapons clashed, and Squall tried not to focus on the fact that this thing now had _his_ weapon for an arm, and was fighting with it as though it'd been training just as long as he had.

 _How is this possible? Where did this thing come from?_

Squall began to increase his efforts, pulling the trigger of his gunblade with each attack. The blowback from each strike was taking its toll, and the Mimic began having trouble keeping up. Seeing he was gaining the upper hand, Squall initiated a quick Fira spell while in mid-swing, and a cone of fire engulfed his opponent.

 _Now's my chance_ …

Squall held his sword out in front of him and prepared to perform the Renzokuken, and then finish with Rough Divide. Beams of light shot up from under him and he charged ahead. Just as he was about to bring down his sword for the first strike, The Mimic rushed out from within the cone of fire and sliced through the left side of the Commander's torso. Though the cut wasn't very deep, tiny pillars of light began appearing all around him. A burst of energy erupted from under Squall's feet, and he was thrust into the air by the creature's imitation of Rough Divide. The Mimic landed on the rocky hill next to the dock's parking lot as Squall fell hard onto the ground, blood slowly seeping out of his side.

"Commander!" yelled a voice from behind.

 _No, Faust!_

Squall turned back and saw the young cadet pushing through the crowd with his weapon. Zell grabbed Faust by the leg and pulled him to the ground.

"Faust, stay back! You're gonna get yourself killed!" yelled Zell.

"But the grounds about to tear open!"

 _What?_

Squall quickly looked around and realized that cracks ran all throughout the dock, up to and past where the crowd of people had been watching it.

 _Quake. The spell it was casting before I attacked it; it double-cast Quake!_

He tried to get up, but the pain from his wound quickly pulled him back down. He was almost in too much pain to move at all.

"Squall!" yelled Zell. The Commander looked up at his comrade, unable to project his voice. He moved his lips in the same manner over and over again, but Zell couldn't make out what he was saying.

"What the hell? What're you trying to say?"

"Mr. Dincht, that thing cast—"

Leaping into the air, the Mimic stopped and hovered above the town. It rose both of its hands high, and in a voice unlike anything they had ever heard before, a voice that sounded like thousands of men and women shouting at the same time, it chanted loudly…

"Quake!"

With that it vanished and right on cue, the areas where the ground had cracked began to quickly rise and fall through the earth, tossing everyone on the deck around like paperweights. Squall, who was junctioned to absorb earth elemental attack, felt some of his strength return once he hit the ground the second time. He leaned toward where Zell and Faust were and was hurled toward them. Zell would make it, even without his Spirit junctioned, he would come away mostly unharmed. Faust on the other hand, had just finished recovering from a rogue Blizzaga spell. Surviving a full on Quake spell was out of the question.

Squall threw himself over the boy as the earth beneath them sunk into the water. They were dragged under by the inertia generated from the spell, but Squall held Faust close, hoping to keep him alive by transferring his elemental junctions onto him. He wasn't sure if it was working, but when the pain in his left side returned, he knew he wasn't absorbing the elements anymore. Something had changed, but he couldn't stay conscious long enough to see what. His vision went dark, and he was left to the whims of the ocean.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Floating face down in the water, Squall opened his eyes and quickly started gasping for air. With a panicked breath he lifted up his head, and could see the waters around him were dark. He'd bled through his clothes, but was nowhere near bleeding out. He couldn't have been out for very long, but where were Zell and Faust?

"Commander!" Squall turned wearily to see Faust swimming toward him, appearing unharmed.

"You…okay?" he asked while trying to keep from passing out again.

"Did you junction your magic onto me, sir?"

Squall nodded. Faust grabbed his mentor and swam with him back to the wreckage of the dock.

"Take these back, sir! You need them more than I do!" Faust closed his eyes and focused. Squall felt a warm sensation run through his body; Doomtrain had been fully re-junctioned to him, as well as his elemental and status defenses. He hadn't meant to pass his entire setup to his student, but the more important thing was that Faust had lived.

"Faust! Get your ass back in the water! We gotta get these people out!" came Zell's voice from the wreckage.

"Yes sir!" Faust turned back to Squall and used a Hi-Potion+ on him.

"…We're going to have a serious talk…after this. You shouldn't even know how to use those items yet, let alone switch junctions from person to person."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry!" The ever-dedicated cadet got up and then ran back out to the waters.

Squall felt his strength returning and slowly sat up. Where the dock had been was now open waters, littered with floating bodies and debris of the structures The Mimic had decimated.

"Yo, Squall!"

Squall turned on his side and saw Zell place two people onto the ground, ordering two medics from the hospital to help them immediately.

"Dude, what the hell was that thing?" asked Zell.

Squall shrugged, still clutching his side even though he was fully junctioned again.

"I've never seen anything like it. I thought Mimics were creatures from ancient Magi lore at best," he replied.

"Magi lore? Damn, that's like sorcery before it was even called that!"

Squall looked up at Zell as fear of the potential truth in his statement took hold of him. Zell returned the look, sharing the odd revelation.

"Is it just me…or did it _kind of_ look like one of those Sorceresses we fought when we traveled to the future?" asked Zell.

Squall shook his head and slowly sat up.

"I can't say. It definitely wasn't human, though. Sorceresses are human, even after they physically change. Whatever that thing was, it's capable of more than just para-magic." Squall could see people jumping into the waters to bring the wounded ashore; possibly friends, family, or just strangers trying to help others in need. Faust had yet to stop going back in since Zell ordered him to continue pulling people out.

"What happened to it?" asked Squall.

"I'm not sure. I thought it just disappeared, but people claimed they saw it reappear further out at sea and fly toward the west," replied Zell

 _Dollet_.

Squall struggled to stand up, grunting, as his wound hadn't fully healed yet.

"Call Garden and have two groups of Rank A SeeDs deployed to Dollet immediately. I'm going to go back to report this to the Headmaster. Can you and Faust take care of things here until I come back?"

"Dude, I don't even think he needs my help. Maybe you shouldn't write him up for bringing his gunblade and a GF?" Zell suggested.

Squall rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Just make the call, Zell."

"Ok!"

Zell took out his cell phone from his pocket and began dialing the Garden. After a few seconds, he looked at his phone with a puzzled look, and then tried again, then again, and then another time after that.

"What's the problem?" asked Squall. Zell put his phone back in his pocket still looking confused.

"Can I use your phone?" he asked Squall. Unsure as to why Zell's phone didn't work, Squall handed him his own. It had the image of Griever etched into the back.

"Nice," Zell remarked.

"Call." Squall didn't want to do anything else except get back to Garden and see Rinoa with fresh fish and deliver the good news about the rings, but apparently it was going to be a bit before the two of them could sit in bed and enjoy a nice meal together. Rinoa always liked to tease him about messing up their bedding by dropping food onto it. She always wound up actually dropping a piece by accident and having to wash the sheets to avoid Squall saying "I told you so" a thousand times. Any kind of food-related accident would've driven him nuts, had it been anyone else. Rinoa was the only person he could look forward to teasing him about his habits with such—

"We got a problem," said Zell, interrupting Squall's brief happy train of thought.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

"The line for Garden's been disconnected. I can't get through! Quistis isn't picking up her phone, either!"

 _Oh no, what if Rinoa had another…_

"Try calling Selphie or Irvine. I'm going back to check if everything's okay. I'll call you from inside once I get there." He took back his phone and headed up the hill with a prominent limp.

"Dude, you're hurt! At least get checked out at the hospital first!"

He could've been in ten times the pain and would've made the trip back. Even with everything that had just happened with the Mimic, and now the inability to contact Garden, Squall could only think of one thing.

 _Rinoa needs me right now_.

* * *

A/N:

I felt like after five chapters of plot, plot, plot, some action was very-much needed to spice things up. Hope my first fight scene wasn't tough to read through. I know explaining their junctions wasn't particularly exciting but, hey, that's how they fight.

Shout out to _h34t1lly, LaylaEvercrest, lecritic, SilentStarlightSky, & descolero _for your wonderful reviews!

Also, shout out to _SilentStarlightSky, Dragojin, & descolero_ for the new follows! Glad you're enjoying my little story :D

Oh, one last thing. Anyone who's curious about where Seifer is, when's he gonna come in, why haven't I brought Seifer back yet, I can neither confirm nor deny that his overdue arrival is gonna be a thing and that it's happening pretty soon...

;)


	8. Changing Courses & Courses Changed

**Chapter 7: Changing Course & Courses Changed...  
**

* * *

 ****From a young age, Selphie had been given multiple time-outs and talking-tos over how she would tease people after she'd beat them in just about anything—Triple Triad in particular. She'd left her cards in her room for this trip, and Irvine refused to thumb or arm wrestle her anymore, so the risk of her hyper-competitiveness being a problem was little to none.

Or so she thought.

Selphie had found herself on the losing end of every game of patty-cake she played against Katrina, the reigning queen of the game amongst the children on board the ship. Katrina also had a history of taunting and teasing her peers mercilessly. After _she_ had been given many a time-out and several talking-tos, she'd learned to become a good sport. However, after she beat Selphie the forty-sixth time in a row, she felt it was time to promptly flaunt her bragging rights.

Katrina, who was four, had her tongue stuck out while waving her hands on the side of her head like a four year old. Selphie, who was eighteen, had whiningly asked for her to stop multiple times before stubbornly walking out to the deck to find Ellone to tell on Katrina. When she couldn't find her childhood friend outside, she stormed into the nearest room.

"Where's the Commander?!" she shouted as she barged into the communications room. Without directly addressing her, one White SeeD pointed over to the cabins, indicating Ellone was in her room.

"Which one is hers? There's like a million different rooms!"

There were twelve: eight barracks which housed four soldiers per room, two rooms for the children—one for the boys and one for the girls—a strategy room that had overnight procurements, and finally, the Commander's room.

"The one that says 'Commander's Room' on it," the same soldier deadpanned. With a huff, Selphie stomped out of the communications room and up the stairs to the cabins. Ellone's room was the first one on the right, and she knocked forcefully on the door.

The White SeeD Commander expected to see one of the children on the other side, but when she saw Selphie, frustrated over what she assumed to be something trivial, she didn't act any differently.

"Hey Selphie, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Ellone! That girl Katrina beat me forty-six times at patty-cake! She's bragging and sticking her tongue out at me, but she HAS to be cheating! I wrote the frickin' book on patty cake! She stole my book!" At five foot one, her behavior was not unlike that of a child between the ages of four through eight. Selphie was, at best, acting like a very tall eight-year-old girl.

"Sefie...seriously?" asked Ellone with a sympathetic smile.

"Yes, seriously! Why would I joke about something like this?!" the little warrior exclaimed, almost offended at Ellone's insinuation that this _wasn't_ a serious problem. Ellone put her arms around little Selphie and gave her a hug. In their embrace, Selphie pouted and rested her chin on Ellone's shoulder.

"…It's okay, Selphie. Katrina can just be a little immature sometimes." The words came naturally, but Ellone had a hard time believing this conversation was actually taking place.

 _Am I really saying this? She's a war hero!_

"…I know. Plus, she's like, four, and I'm…not."

 _Yes, this is really happening._

 _Thank Hyne I've got someone like Selphie in my life._

The little warrior pulled away, her head hung in defeat, but she had a half smile that showed she had accepted that Katrina was, in fact, the best at patty-cake.

"She is really good, though. I wouldn't let her play with the other children for a while because of her gloating, but then none of us could beat her either. She's still not allowed to gloat, but if patty-cake becomes some type of competitive sport in the future, that girl is set," Ellone joked.

"Ugh, you're telling me! Her coordination is _ridiculous_! If she doesn't get adopted, you should keep her around and have her put that noggin' of hers to use on a battle map." Selphie began tapping the side of her head to emphasize her use of the word "noggin." Ellone feigned a laugh, hiding how uncomfortable envisioning a four year old's future as a soldier made her. Selphie didn't seem to pick up on it, and was already peeking over her friends shoulder to see what was in her room.

"Whatcha doin'?" the little warrior asked.

"Oh...um, it's kind of hard to explain. Come take a look." Ellone walked over to her desk just a few feet from the door, and laid out three charts she'd begun drawing up since they'd returned to the ship. Selphie's speed reading helped her quickly conclude that she had no idea what she was looking at.

"They're timelines," said Ellone, seeing the confusion upon Selphie's face.

"Oh! That explains the trees—except not really. And why do you have three?"

"The first one is of Griever's timeline, the second one is of the timeline he and Ultimecia created by going back in time in the first place, and the third one is our timeline up to now."

Ellone lined the papers up symmetrically, showing that the three timelines shared multiple events throughout. World history leading up to the first Sorceress war with Adel was consistent on each chart, but where the second and third chart had all of the events of the second war written in and dated, the first chart was almost completely blank. The chart that represented their timeline had links running to and from the others, showing their impacts on one another. While it was a lot to take in, the chain of events made sense from what Selphie could piece together. The blank space on the first chart however—the one that represented Griever and Ultimecia's original timeline—left her unnerved.

"That's right, we don't know anything about what happened here, right? Griever said he can't remember."

Ellone nodded and pulled that chart closer to them.

"We know that SeeD is founded after Adel's defeat, and then throughout the next few hundred years or so—according to Griever—there's just an endless witch hunt for the next Sorceress. That is, until the two of them show up." Ellone drew a long line down the side of the blank space, and wrote in "SeeD campaigns" alongside it.

"Hyne, I hate that. We're monsters in another world," the little warrior sighed.

"Well, we don't know if _we're_ the monsters," corrected Ellone. That seemed to relieve to Selphie a little bit. At least there was no unnecessary blood spilled on _her_ hands.

"I was alive, though," Ellone remarked ominously.

"Oh, that's right; Junction Machine _Ellone_. Hey, does that mean you were at the orphanage with us, too?"

Selphie gasped upon her realization before Ellone could answer.

"Hey! If you were at the orphanage; that might mean we were all there, too! We still had the orphanage gang!"

Ellone didn't share her friend's enthusiasm.

"Slow down, Selphie. We can't be sure if we were _all_ alive in this timeline, the only reason I think I was is because of the machine..." She took in a deep breath before continuing, preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"But, if I _was_ alive, we know that it wasn't Laguna that defeated Adel…" The implication of that didn't resonate with Selphie like Ellone hoped. Then again, this was something only _she_ had wanted so badly.

"So, what's that mean?" Selphie asked. Ellone looked at her friend with a nervous smile. She wanted to invest in her words and the hopes they carried, but proceeded cautiously, keeping one foot on the ground so as not to get carried away.

"It means that after Laguna rescued me from Esthar, he didn't stay there."

Selphie's eyes slowly grew wide as Ellone's realization hit her. As tears formed in the White SeeD Commander's eyes, the little warrior rushed forward and gave her a congratulatory hug.

"Sis, does that mean he—"

Ellone pulled away, and nodded while wiping seldom, but wonderfully happy tears away.

"Laguna came home after he rescued me. Him, Raine, me, and Squall...we might've had a family…"

* * *

Irvine and Griever were in a cramped, dark room with only one window for natural lighting. With just a few haystacks and a poorly made bed, Irvine began to have a strange sense of deja vu. The longer he spent looking around, the more his surroundings began to stir up a memory he actually wished the GF's _had_ made him forget.

"Wow, they have a make-shift time-out room. Everyone except Seifer was terrified of getting sent to this place!" he exclaimed.

"That explains the room with all of the hay at the orphanage, then," Griever commented as he threw his bag into one stack of hay, and himself into another. Irvine put his bag down and sat on the bed. His brief nostalgia had passed, as he presently sat directly across from the man who'd served Ultimecia as her Knight. The little faith Griever had instilled in him rested on thin ice, tempting the sharpshooter to ask just _one more_ question.

"Something on your mind?" inquired Griever. Irvine looked over his client suspiciously before answering.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked.

"I can tell you're tense. I don't expect you to loosen up around me right away. If there's anything you need to ask me, you can. I have nothing to hide."

 _Somehow I doubt that…_

"What was the ring to you before you gave it to Raine? Other than your avatar," he asked.

Griever was reluctant to answer, but after letting out a bemoaned sigh, he responded.

"My wedding band."

 _Hyne, how do I keep sympathising with this guy?_

Learning that Griever had been so committed to his wife, whoever she was before becoming Ultimecia, that even his _ring_ had changed during his transformation, made the sharpshooter feel guilty for even asking. It was getting harder and harder for Irvine to keep his trust in the man in check; he was beginning to see him as a person, and not as Ultimecia's Knight.

"Was that all?" Griever asked him. Irvine shrugged and looked down at the floor ashamedly.

"Yeah...yeah that's all. Sorry for bringing it up…"

That wasn't all he had to ask of his client, but, he _was_ sorry. Enough to quell his need for more answers for the moment, and just listen to anything Griever had to say.

"I understand," the Knight replied as he reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a manilla folder like the one Irvine had, and opened it up.

"While they were redecorating, Cid put in a makeshift office—computer, printer, 'the essentials', as he put it. After he explained how to use the damn things, I printed my own copy of the contract."

"Right, you're probably not familiar with any kind of technology we have here, are you?"

"I think I used to be," he replied, a light humor in his tone.

 _Huh, so he can joke about his...predicament._

 _...Not bad._

Irvine got up off the bed and settled into a haystack next to Griever.

"We should go over a few things. Namely, your role during our time together," the Knight began, scanning the paperwork in front of him.

"I'm your 'bodyguard', right?"

"You're right to say it that way. Correct, you're my 'bodyguard', as far as everyone is concerned. But, I still need you to be ready to fight at any moment."

"And that's because…"

Griever finally looked up from the folder, surprised Irvine didn't already know.

"You need to be ready, at any moment, to neutralize Squall. Should he snap, our mission's success will be in jeopardy."

Irvine raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"Squall? I know he's her Knight and everything, but you're here to train him so that he _won't_ snap, right?"

Griever sighed and sat up straight, collecting himself before answering.

"If he snaps, she snaps. These incidents that have happened have been just that—incidents. Edea told me about how they've been pulling away from everyone; don't tell me you don't suspect something unusual about their behavior lately."

Irvine tsked, begrudgingly acknowledging Griever's point. He'd already revealed—albeit by accident—that he was afraid of what might happen should _Rinoa_ go over the edge, but the idea of Squall being the one to trigger another incident hadn't crossed his mind. What scared him more was how much it made sense.

"So, with that bond thing they have; is he going through something similar to what she is?" asked the sharpshooter.

"That's one way of putting it. Another is that he doesn't comprehend the full scope of what his actions will entail. Should the moment come, you won't be dealing with the cool, calm, and collected Commander of SeeD, but you won't be dealing with someone like me, or even Seifer for that matter, either."

Irvine wasn't expecting any mention of Seifer—the person everyone _thought_ was Ultimecia's Knight. On the verge of becoming inundated with questions _again_ , Irvine stayed focused on the subject at hand.

"Than what—I mean, who am I gonna be fighting?" he asked.

"A very scared, desperate man, who won't have the same regard for your life as you do for his."

Fleeting feelings of outrage from Griever's implication were immediately replaced by the logic behind his statement. They'd all seen how Squall could be when he feared Rinoa was in danger, but they were verbal outbursts at best. Jumping out into space to find her, breaking into an Esthar government facility to free her—those came after she'd awoken from her coma, after she'd become a Sorceress. The year following the war had shown a slightly more open side of Squall; he did little to conceal his affections for Rinoa, subtle as his public gestures were, they were present nonetheless. The message behind those actions may've been even more subtle; he was changing just like she was, but differently, and what would come of it was far less predictable.

"Status-Junction something like Slow. Perhaps have Dark Ammo on hand, too. Focus on neutralizing him, and you'll be able to stop him without hurting him too much. I can take care of everything after that."

Irvine sighed, junctioning Siren to make the necessary changes to his abilities.

"Thanks for not fighting me on that," the Knight jested.

"I'm not happy about it. If I'm able to stop Squall, what do we do about Rinoa?"

"Like I said, I'll take care of that," Griever replied.

"What if you're not around?"

The Knight crumpled the folder in his hands in frustration and grunted as he reached inside his jacket pocket. At least, it was _meant_ to be a grunt. What Irvine heard was something not unlike a muffled growl—a deep breath from a nearby beast. Or, in this case, right in front of him.

"I'll be there when this happens. If you feel better taking part in neutralizing her, you should use this." Griever pulled an orange crystal shard out from inside his jacket, just like the one Cid had showed Irvine and Selphie in his office. The one he'd claimed Griever had sent them to confirm his identity.

"Take it," the Knight insisted. Irvine was debating whether he should ask about the strange noise this man had just made, what the story was behind these crystals, or his newest concern—why he felt like he'd seen and heard both of them somewhere before.

"It's a shard of runic crystal; anti-magic material that absorbs any kind of magic when used properly. When used as a weapon, it's most effective in targeting whatever magical properties the opponent has. Shoot someone with a bullet that has a fragment of this ingrained into it, and it'll suppress all of their abilities on contact, serving as a tranquilizer. Rendering them incapable of utilizing any of their junctions, they'll be unharmed, but powerless."

When Irvine still hadn't reacted to anything he was saying, Griever lightly tossed the shard into his lap, jarring the sharpshooter's attention.

"Hold it up to a clip of Normal Ammo. Maybe you'll get some of that 'peace of mind' you're so desperately seeking." Devoid of any ability to question the man, Irvine reached down to his belt and pulled out one of the several ammunition clips he had on him. He held the crystal next to the magazine. The crystal emitted a blinding light, causing him to drop both items. As quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished, and Irvine looked down at where he'd heard the two items fall to see only the clip remaining.

"Look at the bullets."

Cautiously, he reached down and inspected his only clip of Normal Ammo, seeing it was now far from that any more. Each bullet had traces of the crystal running alongside it; the shard had infused with each one, altering their design and, apparently, their purpose.

"Upon contact with your target, the bullets won't penetrate the skin. The shards within will react to whatever magic their target has equipped, and will essentially stun them. Those bullets now serve as tranquilizers for beings utilizing high powered magic. In other words, not Squall."

Irvine reaffirmed his grip on the now enhanced magazine clip, closely examining each bullet in the ways they'd been altered.

"She'll be ok?" he asked quietly.

Griever nodded in assurance.

"...Alright." Relenting in his constant pushing back against his client's orders, he put the clip in its holster and coupled his hands together, gazing out the one window in the room intently.

"I know this isn't easy," Griever offered as a form of consolement.

"Doesn't seem like anything is anymore," Irvine replied quietly.

There was silence, as neither man knew what to say to the other. Griever sighed once more, and the silence was broken by the strange sound that came from within him. Irvine turned to him and met with the Knight's smoky grey eyes.

"You probably already know what my question is," Irvine stated. Griever nodded, and folded his arms of his chest as he sat up straight.

"It's my trump card."

"Your what?" asked the sharpshooter. Griever let out the same sigh that elicited the noise, but this time he did it on purpose. Whatever it was, he had control over it.

"The Monster; it's my trump card," he said again. Those words brought back too many a vivid memory of fighting a winged demon that looked like a lion during their final battle with Ultimecia. They'd been told it was Squall's idea of the ultimate GF, extrapolated and willed into existence by the Sorceress. It didn't have orange crystals on it, though, so why did Irvine sense that the noise and the shards were connected?

"Squall's 'idea' of the ultimate GF was just that: an idea. Throw in Ultimecia's botched attempt at recreating what she changed me into, and you have the 'ultimate GF'. They got the lion part right, the wings, along with the bold white main and the black fur. The red head dress was a little overdone; if I had had any say in the matter, I would've opted out of that, but..."

Griever expected to see Irvine looking positively dumbfounded upon turning to him. Sure enough, the young man sat with eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Seeing no point in asking what was troubling him, Griever continued.

"...As for the crystals, my sword breaks apart upon transformation. Traces of the crystalline material run throughout its body, making the Monster immune to most magic. When I revert to this form, my sword reforms, but those shards are left over. Strange, she mostly got the aesthetics right, but the most important part of the Monster's form didn't carry over to that botched replica."

Irvine's aversion to forcing Griever to elaborate made for an awkward tension between the two. Griever watched Irvine in his peripheral, anticipating he would say _something_ to break the silence. If he could read his bodyguards mind, he'd know that Irvine was doing his damndest to _not_ ask a million questions.

 _Is your name Griever, or is that the monster's?_

 _If Ultimecia created the Monster, what made her incapable of recreating it?_

 _Why're you so calm about this?_

 _Are_ you _the Monster?_

That last question rang through Irvine's head the loudest. He wanted to throw the sizeable warrior up against the wall and demand a straight answer. Whether it was fear, or it was the grim reality that there really was _no way_ to kill him, as he'd learned back on Centra, Irvine relented, and finally spoke.

"Good thing you're on our side, then…" he stated quietly. The Knight looked over the young gunner once more, and then nodded.

"I hope that's you accepting who I am, rather than conceding that you're stuck with me," Griever offered.

Irvine sat up upon hearing his client's perceptive words, and finally asked a question of him.

"Does it make a difference at this point?"

Griever hadn't communicated with another human being other than Raine, Laguna, Edea, and Cid in hundreds of years. His ability to truly empathize with anyone, let alone a person as young as Irvine—only eighteen—made it difficult to choose what to and what not to say. The right words were out of his reach, at least for now. He was banking on his unique disposition to help reach Squall and Rinoa, but he hadn't taken into consideration how to communicate, let alone comfort anyone outside of the few who'd personally endured the burden of being, or serving a Sorceress. Throwing caution to the wind, he rested his arms at his side and tried his best to level with the youngest member of the six.

"I'm here to help, Irvine."

The sharpshooter didn't respond, and Griever tried once more.

"You have your doubts, all for good reason. I hope that over time, if you'll let me, I can show you that I'm true to my word."

Just then, the two heard scrambling footsteps from outside their door. They turned, their hands instinctively resting on their weapons, until the voices of two White SeeDs permeated the room.

"What's wrong?"

"Balamb's communications are down. We can't reach the harbor for permission to dock."

"What about Garden? Did you try contacting them?"

"They're down too. Seems like there was an explosion off the coast not too long ago. Communications at Garden went down shortly before whatever happened in the town."

"Get up to the communications room on the double, see if there are any updates. I'll get the Commander, and we'll try to decide on what to do."

"Yes, sir!"

The pairs of footsteps scrambled up a flight of stairs, and upon listening closely, the two men could hear multiple voices coming down from the deck.

"You should go check that out," advised Griever.

Irvine turned back to his client in a rush.

"What about you?"

The Knight shook his head slowly.

"They're White SeeDs; I don't necessarily have a rapport with any of them. Their contract specified they had to help you and Selphie, not me. They'll freeze up if they see someone like me. Why do you think Ellone told us to come down here?"

There was a hint of discomfort in Griever's voice that Irvine had picked up on at the orphanage. A part of the man felt like an outcast, and furthermore, he believed he _deserved_ to be one. Irvine's heart clashed with his mind once more over whether or not to trust him, but then one particular voice pierced the noise from up on the deck.

"Hang on! I'm calling Zell right now!" exclaimed Selphie. Without a moment's hesitation, Irvine ran out the door and up the stairs, leaving Griever alone in the deepest part of the ship.

The Knight took in his surroundings carefully, and then gazed out the single window facing east. In the distance, he caught a glimpse of smoke rising, and stood up to get a better view. When he saw it in full, he unsheathed his sword and held it towards the window. The runic blade resonated, sensing powerful magic coming from that direction. He shook his head, sheathed his weapon, and sighed, once more emitting the muffled growl he'd tried to hide back at the orphanage.

"Hello?"

The voice that came from behind him was unlike any other he'd heard since his return to civilization. When Griever turned to find a little girl with pigtails standing in the doorway—which he'd somehow failed to hear open—he looked upon the first child he'd seen in centuries. Whatever worries he'd had from seeing the smoke from afar all but fell to the side when the girl came up to him and pulled on his coattails for his attention.

"Everyone's being loud upstairs, and I think I made the girl in yellow cry," she said with a whimper.

Griever looked down at the little girl, his mouth open, but no words to be said.

 _Should've gone upstairs..._

* * *

"Triangulate the signal from the Lunar Space Station! We need a visual of the damage done at Balamb, as well as at Garden!" Ellone instructed her troops.

"Commander, Garden shows no sign of having been attacked," replied one of the White SeeDs.

"We still can't get in touch with them; just because there wasn't an explosion doesn't mean someone didn't _try_ to stage an attack. Get a visual, that's an order!"

A light tap on her shoulder caused her to whirl around, and she was slightly relieved to see Irvine standing behind her.

"When the hell did this ship become so high-tech?" he asked.

"When a certain uncle wanted to make sure I'd be as 'safe as possible'," she replied, eliciting a small chuckle despite the chaos surrounding them. What was now the "communications room" had wall-to-wall control panels hooked up to enormous LED screens. Some of them had maps of the world on them, others had weather reports and information regarding their route or destination. One in particular was flashing red, indicating that a certain part of the map—Balamb—was in trouble.

"You need to see this. Something _big_ hit Balamb just a few minutes ago."

"Big?" asked Irvine. Ellone grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the large flashing screen attached to the wall.

"Zoom in!" she commanded of her troops.

There indeed was a shotty visual of Balamb harbor in utter ruin. People were running in and out of the waters to rescue those caught in the attack, and then being taken to the hospital for emergency care.

The visual wasn't as jarring as much as the heroism being displayed by the citizens was inspiring. Irvine was far from happy to see such a sight when he was already in charge of a potentially _very_ dangerous man's safety, but to see people risking their lives to save others—not because it was their job, but because they felt obligated to do so—gave him a little comfort. To help matters, he squinted at a particular spot of the screen, and was relieved to see three of their own down there helping. Well, two of them were helping.

Zell and Faust were assisting in the emergency response, but Squall was laid out on the concrete, his hand over his side.

"Looks like Squall got hurt," he commented.

"I can't tell if he's wounded or not. Someone get a closer visual of the Balamb Commander!" Ellone instructed her communications staff.

"Negative, Commander. We can't zoom in any further."

"Damn it! Where's Selphie?" the White SeeD Commander exclaimed.

As though she'd been summoned, the little warrior skipped into the room with her phone in her hand. Irvine smiled softly as he tipped his hat to his ever high-spirited partner.

 _A light to pierce the darkness, as always._

"Irvy, do you remember what I stored Zell in my phone as?" she asked, unusually calm considering the situation.

"You didn't put him in as just Zell?"

"What? No, that's boring. Everyone get's a nickname in my phone, you know that."

 _Oh, that's right._

 _...Wait, what's my nickname?_

"Do you think he's 'bad idea'? Maybe I stored him as that because of his face tattoo. Or maybe he's 'fistface'?" she continued.

Irvine held out his hand for the phone, and Selphie handed it over.

"You gotta remember that he's the only one with a Balamb area code. Squall and Quistis' phones are issued from Garden. Did you try calling either of them?" he asked her.

Selphie's face scrunched up uncomfortably.

"...I don't remember how I saved them either," she admitted.

"Seriously? Squall's not 'hardass' or 'clenched'?"

"That could be either of them!"

Irvine laughed heartily at the truth in that statement, until Ellone piped up to bring them out of their joking dialogue.

"Get Zell on the phone, Irvine! This is no time for jokes!"

The Balamb warriors ceased all horseplay, and Irvine handed the phone back to Selphie with it dialing. Squall and Quistis wouldn't have liked their light-hearted banter amidst a situation like this either, but at least the two of them knew it was the way the couple best handled themselves in the midst of a crisis. Ellone didn't know that, nor did she have the desire to entertain it.

"Ok, it's ringing," said Selphie. Irvine looked back at the screen, and saw Zell reach for his phone. He jumped in the air excitedly before answering, but then Irvine saw Squall wandering up towards and past the hospital.

"Where the hell is he going?" he asked. Ellone turned back to face the screen as well, and at this point, he'd limped his way through the town exit and begun walking on the paved road back to Garden.

"He's still hurt! Why didn't he go to the hospital?" she asked worriedly. Irvine was just as confused by the Commander's decision.

 _Why didn't he go?_

 _He knows he needs treatment, what the hell is he—_

"What?! Slow down, you're talking too fast!"

Selphie's phone conversation trumped their combined confusion over Squall's odd decision. The little warrior ran out of the communications room where they watched her jump up and down, trying to have some kind of fluid conversation with the martial artist on the other side of the line.

"Oh Hyne, I just realized I should've handed you the phone," said Irvine.

"What? Why?" asked Ellone.

"Zell and Selphie are trying to have a conversation. On the phone. Here, watch." The two of them watched as Selphie continued to flail about while arguing, or possibly speaking calmly—it was hard to tell with her—and then turned back to the screen. Through the distorted digital image on the display, they could see Zell mirroring her movements exactly.

"Oh, I see what you mean…" Ellone sighed.

Selphie marched over to the two in a huff, gripping the phone tightly in hand. Even though it was down at her side, they could hear Zell's voice coming through the receiver.

"Irvine, Zell's being a butt! He won't go somewhere quieter so I can actually hear him over the all the noise in Balamb!" she whined. Irvine and Ellone didn't know if they should remind her how loud it was on the ship itself, she didn't appear to be in the mood to be corrected.

"Can we go where it's quiet enough so I can hear dopey better?" Selphie requested.

"The only rooms that are somewhat soundproofed are the children's rooms, but we sent them there once we received the news about Balamb," replied Ellone.

"What's down there?"

The little warrior forcefully pointed to a stairway that led beneath the deck.

"That's where Griever and I are. We kinda need to keep it on the downlow that he's here," answered Irvine.

"What? Why?!" the petite brunette demanded.

"Selphie, it's also the 'time-out room' of the ship. It's a little underkept—plus you probably won't get much service down there," added Ellone."

"Service schmervice! If I can at least _hear_ him, we'll know what's going on!" Before Irvine or Ellone could further object, she bolted away from them and zipped down the stairs. The two stood in silence in the wake of her sprint, dumbfounded.

"She's...fast," started Ellone.

"She's...yeah," was all Irvine could think to say.

Though Selphie's antics served as a welcome distraction from the events happening in Balamb, the two warily followed her down the stairway.

"...Why did she call Zell a butt?" the White SeeD Commander asked after a short, somewhat stunned silence.

"As opposed to others things she could've called him," replied Irvine.

"Oh...Awww."

* * *

Katrina's words had devolved into dictionless noises and snorts to hold back the endless amounts of boogers that she'd been using Griever's coat to wipe. The four year old had unknowingly backed the Knight into a corner, and as she lamented her sorrows over why she thought the other kids—and now Selphie—didn't like her, Griever was doing his best to console her.

"And then—"

She sniffed back another glob of mucus, though it didn't make much of a difference by this point.

"And then, she walked out to tell on me! I think she was going to tell Ms. Ellone! I don't wanna get in twouble; Selphie's a big girl, I thought she'd laugh if I made faces!"

"Well...not everyone likes your face," offered Griever. The palm of his hand met promptly with his face as the girl wailed louder and blew another load of snot into his coat.

"I meant faces! Not everyone likes it when people make _faces_ at them! Your face is fine!" he exclaimed, attempting to cover his tracks. She shook her head, her face still planted firmly in his coat, thus spreading the mucus she'd already expelled into his coat all over her face.

"No! You meant my face, didn't you?!" she squealed. Her accusation was followed by a dry cough; her sorrows over the patty-cake debacle had dried her throat. Griever might not be able to take back his words, but he could do something about that, at least.

"Does your throat hurt?" he asked her. Preceded by another sniffle, she nodded, and Griever held out his right hand.

"Want to see a trick that'll make it all better?" he asked again.

The emotional range of a four year old was usually limited to whatever was right in front of them. Despite Katrina clearly being superior at patty-cake, she was not exempt from this general rule of thumb.

"Watch closely," he advised. Still holding onto his coat, she walked out in front of him and stared at his hand. Griever focused his attention to the center of his hand, and a pale green light flashed from around it. Out of thin air, glass shards appeared and swirled around in the shape of a drinking glass. Staring in utter bewilderment, Katrina watched small traces of water trickle into the cup from above it. Griever had cast a suppressed Water spell and when the glass was full, he handed the glass to Katrina.

"Here, sip on that before we keep talking. We wouldn't want you to have a sore throat on top of being sad, would we?" The little girl took the cup in both hands and shook her head, agreeing that a sore throat would make this _so_ much worse. Shyly, she looked at the big man she'd sought for grief counseling out of the corner of her eye while she drank what may've been the purest water she'd ever—and possibly would ever—have. When she finished, she exhaled quite pleased, and handed the glass back to the Knight.

"Thank you, Mr. Gwiever," she spoke quietly. The Knight nodded, the corner of his lips turning upright at her mispronunciation of his name.

"Katrina!"

The two turned to face the doorway, where Ellone stood staring sternly at the pig-tailed patty-cake champion. Scared, the little girl took shelter behind Griever's coattail, leaving him in the crosshairs of Ellone's disciplinary glare.

"She was upset about...cake?"

"Patty-cake!" Katrina corrected, her voice muffled by having his coattails draped right over her face.

"Right, that. I couldn't understand most of it." Selphie and Irvine quickly barged in behind Ellone, taken aback by the image of a little girl hiding from someone _other_ than him.

"Uh...what?" asked Irvine.

"Hey, is that Katrina?" asked Selphie. The pigtailed girl stuck her head out from behind Griever's coat, and when she saw Selphie, she dove back behind it.

"Can you tell her that you didn't cry after she beat you in patty-cake? She thinks she upset you and feels bad about it. Here's the proof." Griever held up the part of his coat Katrina had used as a tissue, eliciting a frown from Selphie, and perplexed stares from Irvine and Ellone.

"Aw, Katrina, I didn't cry," offered Selphie. She walked over to the two and knelt down beside the Knight to try and find the patty-cake champion.

The little girl peaked out from behind Griever's coat to face the older girl in yellow.

"You…*sniff*...didn't?" she asked. Selphie beamed, and pulled the little girl towards her.

"No! I overreacted, that was my mistake. Ellone told me how good everyone thinks you are at patty-cake, and that _no one_ can beat you. I got over it after I realized I lost to the champion!"

Katrina sniffled again, blowing her nose one last time in Griever's coat before returning to address Selphie.

"...Really?" she asked. Selphie pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the little girl's face, and then pulled her in for a hug.

"Really! Just try to be a better sport when you win, ok? Griever won't always be here to comfort you if this happens again."

Katrina turned back to the Knight, who had accepted his role as a human tissue as long as she was here.

"Where are you going?" she asked her grief counselor.

"Oh...I'm going to...uh…"

"He's coming with us to Garden! So he's only going to be here for a little while longer."

Sweet as it was, Ellone walked over to the three of them to disperse the group. Griever seemed elated as he anticipated her action.

"Katrina, the rest of the children have all gone back their rooms. Can you head back the girl's bedroom? The grownups need to talk right now." There came another sniffle, and Griever flinched as he anticipated her using his coat as a tissue again. But, the little girl was in better spirits, and turned to face the Knight with her arms outstretched.

 _Oh, she wants a hug…_

He couldn't have looked more uncomfortable, but Katrina was delighted and squeezed tightly around his neck while he lightly patted her on the back.

"Thank you Mr. Gwiever, I feel better now."

"That's...good to hear...we'll follow up later, ok?" he replied, immediately puzzled as to why he offered more of his time to console the toddler.

"Yes! Ok, I'll go upstairs, Ms. Ellone! Thank you Ms. Selphie!"

She rushed past the two older women and breezed past Irvine in the doorway, leaving the four of them in silence.

"...So, you're awfully good with kids for someone who's...you," said Irvine. Griever rolled his eyes and stood up to examine the side of his coat.

"You'd think she had plague or something," he said upon closer examination of the damage she'd done. With a flick of his wrist, a pale green light shot up from around it, and trickles of water streamed from within a modified water spell to wipe away the dried up mucus left behind by the little girl. He looked up to see his three companions staring, and, for him, it was the last straw.

"Enough with the staring already! After everything else I've told you, are you really _that_ surprised I can use a Water spell for something other than attack magic?" The three warriors shook their heads and reassumed their professional veneers.

"Griever, something's happened at Balamb! Listen!"

Selphie pulled her cellphone out of her pocket—where Zell had been on hold for almost fifteen minutes, and put it on speaker.

"Ok, Zell, say everything you tried to tell me earlier. I can actually hear you now."

" _Again?! Selphie, what the hell is going on?!"_

"Just talk!" she commanded, and held the phone out in the middle of the room for all to hear.

" _Ugh, it's like I told you! Some weird thing in a yellow and black cloak all decked out in jewelry attacked us! Squall called it a 'mimic'. We didn't talk to Faust yesterday when we went to the hospital; it was this weird thing that can make itself look like other people. It fought just like Squall and I; like, down to the most intricate detail. It knew all forms of 'Combat King' martial arts and Renzokuken swordsmanship!"_

The Knight let go of his coat, and his concentration to keep his spell maintained broke, splashing water all over the floor.

"Heyyy, now all I'm wet!" exclaimed Selphie. Griever paid her no mind, and quickly took the phone from her hands.

"Did you say a 'mimic'?" he asked the martial artist.

" _Irvine?"_ asked Zell. Griever cringed, not having thought through his speaking to anyone outside of Irvine, Selphie, and Ellone before reaching Garden. So, he lied.

"Yeah...man, it's me."

Irvine tsked in the corner of the room, and leaned up against the backwall to enjoy the show.

 _This should be good._

" _Dude, you sound awful! You get sick on the way to Centra or something?"_

"That's exactly what happened. Now, back to what you said. You said a 'mimic' attacked you?"

" _The hell did you catch? You sound like an entirely different person!"_

The irony of his statement was lost on no one, but Griever pushed through, unusually concerned by the mention of this "mimic."

"Stay focused!" he demanded of the martial artist.

" _Sheesh, relax dude. Yeah, or at least that's what Squall called it. It can imitate people and their actions, apparently. It was impersonating Faust when we went to visit him, and it might be responsible for why we can't reach Garden. If it assumed the identity of any random student inside, it could've snuck in and cut the communication lines—or, at least that's what Squall said."_

"How did it get away?" he continued.

" _It, like, flew away. Off to the west. Some people thought it was going to Dollet!"_

Griever clenched his jaw and tried to contain the anger this apparently brought out in him. Ellone saw this as a chance to ask what was on her mind.

"Where's Squall right now?" asked Ellone, standing next to Griever.

" _...Sis?! What the hell are you doing there? What's going on?!"_

"There's no time, Zell! We saw Squall walk away from ground zero on the image we were able to pull up of the town. Where's he going?" she pressed.

" _Said he was going back to Garden to get help since we couldn't reach anyone."_

"You didn't see that he was hurt?! Why didn't you stop him?!" the White SeeD Commander exclaimed.

" _You think I could've really stopped him? The guy's probably worried about Rinoa more than anything! There's no getting in the middle of that, Ellone."_

Griever and Irvine immediately locked eyes; their conversation from before the panic broke out coming to mind.

"We don't have much time, then." Griever handed the phone back to Selphie and turned his attention to Ellone.

"How soon until we reach Balamb?" he asked her.

"Not for another three hours or so. Why, what's wrong?" she asked back.

Without answering, the Knight turned to Selphie, who still had her phone out.

"Tell him to go to Dollet," he instructed her.

" _Dude, I can hear you,"_ interrupted Zell _._

Selphie normally wouldn't question the order, but Griever was their client, not their Commander.

"Dollet? He's helping the people in Balamb, though."

"He needs to go there to track this thing. Once we arrive there, we'll meet with him and help him fight it," The Knight replied.

Ellone was the one who took issue with Griever's giving orders now.

"Wait a minute! You're changing the course of the ship!? Who do you think you are?! Besides, we can't just up and go to Dollet if something's happened at our destination!"

"Yeah, and Zell can't go either!"

" _Seriously, stop talking about me as if I'm not here! Irvine, no way in hell am I going to Dollet! I'm not leaving ground zero of an attack on my own hometown; you're the ones with a frickin' boat; you go!"_ Zell shouted over the phone.

Taking in a deep breath, Griever collected and organized his thoughts before laying out his plan of attack for the group.

"If the creature that attacked Balamb was in fact a mimic, that means Rinoa isn't all we have to worry about. We need confirmation as to what we may be dealing with if we hope to succeed in our efforts with Rinoa."

The group, along with Zell, resigned to agreeing with the Knight in silence.

" _What're we gonna do about Squall, then?"_ asked Zell. Griever turned to face Ellone, and she flinched back upon making eye contact. He'd reached out to her via the link, but she immediately shut him out.

"I had a feeling you'd be wary of using your powers," he remarked.

Without a word, the White SeeD Commander stormed out of the room, causing Griever to start after her.

"Finish things up with him, then get ready," he ordered Selphie. Grabbing Irvine by the collar of his coat, the two men saw Ellone make a quick turn out from the stairway.

"What the hell's come over you, chasing Ellone out like that?!" exclaimed Irvine.

"She needs to reach out to Squall. If she sends him back to a memory of his—any memory, it'll buy us time before he makes it back to Garden."

"Hey, you know I'm on the same page as you when it comes to this, but wouldn't it make more sense just to have Zell go after him while we go to Dollet on our own?"

Griever let go of his bodyguard's coat to explain his plan.

"If Zell goes after him, they'll end up in a fight. If Rinoa hasn't already sensed that Squall's in trouble, she will, and if she runs out to find him fighting with Zell, that'll trigger more than an 'incident'." The Knight drew pause before closing the gap between him and Irvine to finish his point.

"I imagine you want _all_ of your friends to come out the other side of this alive, right?"

Irvine pushed Griever away from him to give himself some space. His client didn't seem to mind the shove, if anything, it only confirmed that Irvine was going to help him.

"...There's no other way, is there?" he asked the Knight glumly. Griever shook his head, but the right corner of his lip teased upward before he answered.

"Sometimes you only have one choice, right?" he replied. Irvine recognized his own words from when he'd brought everyone together at Trabia Garden just a year ago. To his continued ire, the best choice for them was to continue avoiding direct contact with Squall and Rinoa—they had to make sure nothing else would get in the way of helping them, first.

The Knight gestured for his bodyguard to go up the stairs in front of him. When Irvine took to the steps ahead of him, Griever slowly followed.

"Hey." Irvine looked over his shoulder at the still smiling Griever.

"You wanted some answers, right?" Irvine didn't respond, but Griever didn't need him to.

"Once we find this thing, some of what's in that manilla folder of yours might start to make sense. I know Cid warned you that you might wish you'd never gotten any of your questions answered, but you know as well as I do that the longer we're in the dark, the harder it'll be to see which way we need to go."

The sharpshooter didn't feel the need to concede Griever was right _again_. He continued up the stairs and made for where he thought he saw Ellone run to.

* * *

The White SeeD Commander scrambled to pull her out her phone from her side pocket. Laguna was on speed-dial, and if there was anyone who'd be able to calm her down in her panic, it'd be him.

"Send him with you." She stopped cold. Her hand outstretched for the doorknob to open her room, Griever's instruction had completely caught her off guard.

"Send Laguna back as well so that you don't have to deal with Squall directly," he continued. The White SeeD Commander turned to face the daunting Knight. She saw Irvine was in her peripheral; somehow he'd managed to shirk to the side without being noticed. She was shaking, partly because she knew his idea wasn't bad, but also because she'd never experienced someone _else_ opening the link, particularly on her.

"How did you do that? How did you connect with me through the—"

"Things are going to change around here, Ellone. You're not going to be the only one who can access someone else's mind much longer. But, you _will_ be the only person capable of accessing their memories, let alone sending them back to relive them through someone else's eyes. Right now we need your powers to prevent certain catastrophe."

"Catastrophe?! What the hell's going to happen if Squall makes it back to Balamb?"

Irvine pushed himself off the wall he'd leaned against to answer.

"Squall's hurt. He's hurt, but more so, he's acting irrationally. There's an attack on the town of Balamb, but instead of getting treatment for his injuries he's rushing back to Garden on foot? Even with the communications down, Zell could've taken a car back to get help while Squall recovered in the hospital. He's doing this because of Rinoa, and if she sees him like this, the one with the 'steady hand' in the relationship won't be able to prevent another incident."

Griever nodded at Irvine's assessment, and saw Ellone understood, but something else was bothering her.

"You'd do this if you knew it could work. What's fueling your doubts?" he asked her.

She nervously began biting on her cuticles, then, in one breath, let loose all of her doubts.

"My powers don't work anymore, Griever…"

Irvine did a double take at her response.

"I thought you said you didn't _want_ to use them anymore! Why didn't you tell me they stopped working?" asked Irvine concernedly.

"Because, I didn't want to let anyone down! I can still send people back, but I can't guarantee we'll end up where I hope! Something's been interfering with the way my abilities work for the past six months! It's dangerous for me to use them, let alone use them on someone _else_!"

Griever sighed and folded and his arms over his chest pensively. Six months marked when he'd arrived at the orphanage. He knew it was more than likely that it was his traveling through time that was interfering with her powers.

"You can still cut the link though, can't you? You did it downstairs just a moment ago…"

"That's not the point! What if I send Squall back to a memory that just makes things worse?! I can't reverse whatever damage—"

The Knight gestured to Irvine to leave him and Ellone alone for a moment.

"I don't think—"

"Just wait by the stairs for me," Griever interrupted. Both Irvine and Ellone weren't sure what to expect. When Griever narrowed his eyes at his bodyguard, he grunted and walked away, leaving the two alone.

Oddly enough, though Ellone didn't want to go through with anything he was proposing, the one thing she was sure of was that Griever was only trying to do what was best for the group.

"Don't contact Laguna, just send him along with Squall. If anyone can stop a man's fury in its tracks, it's the ever-humble President of Esthar," said Griever. A small smile crept on Ellone's face; thoughts of her adoptive father's unyielding ability to serve as a catalyst for happiness gave her confidence.

"And, to ensure this works…"

* * *

Two White SeeDs ran past Irvine where he waited for Griever. He watched them as they accompanied Ellone into a separate room, and then Griever came out from the hall and stood next to him.

"How'd you convince her to do it?" he asked. Griever waved off his bodyguard's question, and instead began stretching his arms back behind his head. When his bones cracked, he let out another deep sigh, emitting the low growl Irvine had heard before.

"She just needed to be reminded that she can do this. Whatever problems she's had up to this point won't present themselves—not today." He stretched to his left side, emitting another low-pitched growl under his breath.

"We just need to focus our energy on the upcoming battle." The Knight finished his stretch, then patted Irvine firmly on the shoulder.

"Better get ready. Answer are only useful to those who're prepared to use them."

* * *

Shout out to **_Summoner Luna_ , _FFMuse_ , _b0rnwithwings_ , and _BlueMoomba_** for following! Glad you all liked what you read enough to want to stay up to date :D

Also, big thanks so **_Lecritic, SilentStarlightSky, LaylaEvercrest,_ and _Summoner Luna_** for your wonderful reviews! I'm glad the first chapter with a fight scene went over so well.

This is gonna be my last update for the years (considering it ends in two weeks, lol,) so I hope you guys like this chapter that sets up all of the sh!t that's about to go down :D

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great 2015 and that 2016 will be even better!

:D


	9. Sleeper

**Chapter 8: Sleeper**

* * *

"Tell the crew to set a course for Dollet. Our guests from Balamb Garden and their client will be venturing into town to track down whoever attacked Balamb Harbor. We're to remain on board until we receive confirmation that the suspect has been apprehended."

"Will we cast off once the three of them depart for Dollet, Commander?"

Ellone nodded. There were children on board, and they were the priority for the White SeeDs when it came to protection, contract be damned.

"SeeD Selphie Tilmitt, or Irvine Kinneas will inform us as to when it's safe to dock again. Refrain from all offensive maneuvers unless the suspect boards our ship." The two SeeDs she was instructing grew concerned from that last order.

"The suspect might be able to board our ship even _after_ we're back out at sea?"

"Better safe than sorry," the White SeeD Commander replied bluntly. "Time is of the essence. Go!"

The two White SeeDs saluted their Commander and swiftly exited her room, leaving Ellone with the two soldiers she'd initially asked to join her.

Griever's parting words to her were still reverberating inside her head. While they did little to still her anxious heart, she knew that doing anything other than following his instructions would make her attempts to help, and possibly even save Squall all for not. She looked to the two soldiers who stood on opposite sides of her door.

"If anything should go wrong before we reach Dollet, run and get the man we retrieved from Centra. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am!" they replied swiftly.

Slowly, she laid down on her bed, and folded her arms over midsection.

" _Introduce us,"_ the Knight had whispered into her ear.

" _What?!"_ she exclaimed.

" _You were there the night I gave Raine the ring; you remember everything that happened. Take him there with Laguna. The ring means everything to him, let him see me give it to Raine. The ring, his mother, and the one who passed it down were all in the same room at one point. Such an image would do more than steady his hand._

" _Show him the moment his mother received the one thing she left him. He deserves to know it was more than just a memento; that she was the one entrusted with it for a reason."_

If anything, Griever's idea set the stakes of Ellone's endeavor even higher. The scales now hung delicately, and just the _slightest_ push would tip them in, or against their favor.

"Squall...just hang on…"

* * *

Was it his wound? Had he unknowingly bled out while running back to Garden? Squall was running on pure adrenaline now, and he pushed on through the darkness he'd found himself immersed in, even though he knew he'd wind up nowhere near where he wanted to be.

 _Where am I?_

Slowly, light began to filter in through the dark, and the room he was in gradually blurred into focus. The walls were silver—no, they were metal; thin metallic sheets covered the walls. There were different cooking surfaces around him, and while each one looked like they were used frequently, they were obviously kept in the best condition possible.

 _A kitchen? Why am I in a kitchen?_

Amidst his inability to comprehend how he'd gotten here, or where here even was, he couldn't help but admire the place's upkeep. He looked down to his left side, and saw that his wound was still open, but it wasn't bleeding anymore. There were still open cuts all around his body, but no blood. It was as though they'd scarred already, but that was impossible. He questioned the nature of his surroundings all the more, when he heard an all-too-familiar voice come from outside of the room.

"One special, coming right up!"

Through the revolving door that led into the kitchen, waltzed a young, clumsy, and clueless Laguna Loire. He trotted over to the stove in the middle of the room, lit it up, and began cooking something. 'Something' was the only thing Squall could think to call whatever he'd thrown onto the burner. It didn't look edible, and if it ever had been, that time had long since passed.

"Of all the times…it's been a year, Ellone! What the hell is this!?" Squall shouted at the ceiling.

"Squall?" asked another familiar voice from behind him. He recognized _that_ voice, too. It was an aged version of the one he'd heard only moments before the mockery of proper cooking had begun. He turned, and further to his chagrin was Laguna as he was now. Squall was trapped in a room with not one, but two Lagunas, and was starting to reconsider the idea that he had in fact bled out, and gone _straight to Hell_.

"Squall!" exclaimed Laguna cheerfully, holding out his arms to hug him. Squall folded his arms and looked away.

"Okay...I expected that…" Laguna said as he lowered his arms with a small frown on his face, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Figured you might know," Squall replied, uninterested in holding a conversation with the man.

"Me? I'm just as in the dark as you are."

"I'm not in the dark," he murmured, pubescent immaturity ever-present in his tone.

"Oh, so then do you mind telling _me_ what's going on?"

"Figured you might—"

 _Wait, I said that already._

 _Damn it! How does this idiot manage to throw me off everytime we talk!_

"…Yeah, I don't know what going on, either," the young Commander admitted.

"So, we're both in the dark?"

 _I just said I'm not…wait…_

… _Damn it!_

"…I guess so."

"Hey, we finally have something in common!"

Now was not the time to find something they had in common with each other. There would never be a _good_ time to figure out what Squall and Laguna had in common, because that time had long since passed.

Squall had decided that the minute Laguna had spoken so casually about how he couldn't be there for him and Ellone, because of his newfound duties in Esthar. Sure, he'd considered the fact that Laguna was fulfilling his duty and obligation to the people he'd just liberated, and that he really had _no idea_ Raine was pregnant before she died. He was just furious over how Laguna had been so nonchalant about it all. He couldn't grasp how after meeting his long lost son—who was a hero in his own right—he could just keep being such a nitwit all the time. He was just always cracking jokes and trying to keep things light.

Would life have been like that if Laguna had come back for him and Ellone, just him making jokes all the time? Never taking the time to be a dad? The endless amounts of questions only further frustrated Squall, and cemented his stance on the issue.

"Okay, bad joke. Man, two in a row. We've only been here for like, five minutes and I've already pissed you off!"

For reasons he didn't quite understand, Squall felt Laguna shouldn't take _all_ of the heat for his frustration.

"…Yeah, well…I was kind of busy before we got here. You're not with Ellone, are you?" Squall asked.

Laguna shook his head.

"Ellone's a White SeeD now, Squall. She's off on that ship taking care of little children like…well, I guess like she always has. But, now she's the Commander of the fleet." Laguna's face lit up when he called her 'Commander.'

"Hey! Look at that! The big sister and her little brother both grew up to be Commanders in SeeD!"

That actually resonated with Squall. He was happy to hear Ellone had gone back to take care of the orphans on the ship. He was usually happy to hear Ellone's name at all, but whatever was taking place was her doing, and she had yet to say anything to them.

"So, you have no idea why we're here, then?" he asked, turning to face his absentee father. Laguna shrugged again and turned to look at a younger version of himself struggle to cook a meal.

"Man, look at that. No gut, no crow's feet. This guy looks invincible! You're gonna look at pictures of yourself from now when you're my age and think the same thing, you know?"

Squall put his hand on his hip and watched his young father falter again and again to cook something.

"What the hell were you even trying to cook?" he asked, begrudgingly giving way to holding conversation with him.

Laguna looked over his younger self's shoulder and down at the stove.

"Looks like a special we used to serve here," he replied.

"Where's here?" asked Squall.

"Oh! That's right, you probably never saw this room when Ellone took you back in time. This is the kitchen at Raine's pub. I can't remember her ever letting me cook, though. I must've insisted or something. Is it daytime or nighttime? Probably nighttime; she'd never let me prepare any kind of food when we were busy."

Squall threw up his arms and paced back and forth within the small space he was able to move within.

"Hey, you think we were sent back and are _both_ in my head right now?" asked Laguna. Squall looked at his younger father, noticing he looked particularly distracted, even for him.

"That would explain you managing to look even more clueless than usual," he quipped. Laguna laughed as he observed his younger self keep shaking his head to 'get the faeries away.'

"That guy is pretty clueless, I'll give you that. We're not helping though. I bet I would've done just fine with this meal had we not been sent here for some reason."

"Then let's leave." Squall looked back up to the ceiling and started yelling. "Ellone! I know you can hear me! I know you can see me! Send me back to Balamb! I need to get back to Garden to help Rinoa!"

There was no answer—not from Ellone, at least.

"Hey, what's wrong with Rinoa, Squall?"

"Nothing!" he snapped. "Ellone, please, send me back! Get me out of here!"

Laguna grew concerned, and tried in vain to help his son.

"Ellone! If you can hear us, give us a sign!" he shouted.

Squall turned from the ceiling and glared harshly at his father.

"A sign?! What the hell is she supposed to do other than talk to us? We can't even affect anything here, and we're _actually_ here!"

"We're doing a pretty good job bothering _him_ ," the president countered, pointing to his younger self.

Squall began flailing his arms about in a rage.

"Don't try to be cute! Enough with the damn jokes, Laguna! I understand you don't know what's going on, but that doesn't help me! We do _not_ have an effect on anything here! Watch, this is the most we can accomplish while we're here!" Squall forcefully waved his arm toward the past Laguna's head. After a few seconds of waiting, Laguna's hair moved ever so slightly. He didn't notice.

"Look, there's even a delay! We're barely here!" Squall shouted.

"Alright, relax! She'll let us know what's going on eventually. She wouldn't just leave us here," Laguna offered by way of an explanation.

Squall turned red with anger. He was on the verge of a conniption, until the younger Laguna started a fire.

"Oh crap!" he yelled, pulling out the extinguisher and spraying in no particular direction. The two of them coughed as the fumes still somehow affected them, despite their lack of a presence in their current state. The younger Laguna walked toward the door and opened it, revealing Raine talking to a man at a table.

"I screwed up the special," he said.

Squall peered through the open door to see his beautiful mother; the one Kiros had told him he looked so much like. Photos had attested to this, but seeing her in the flesh, in light of the knowledge of his lineage, made it all the more real.

"Man, just look at Raine. I'd ask Ellone to send me back so I could see her more often…but it just hurts," admired Laguna.

He turned back to Squall, who was still transfixed on his mother.

"I…I think about it all the time. If I'd gone back…if I could've helped…"

Squall was starting to wish, for reasons he couldn't understand, that he could walk into the other room where his mother was, and be greeted by her with a loving hug. He'd never given much thought to what life would've been like with a mother, let alone a whole family. He knew he could never really reach out to Raine, despite her being no more than a few feet from him, and so his wanting for a parent's support turned to the one who actually _could_ be there for him.

"Laguna, don't…"

Laguna looked up at a, for once, compassionate Squall. It was a small gesture, but in Laguna's opening up even a little about his feelings regarding their fractured family, Squall had offered what little sympathy he could to ease his pain. Much like his son, Laguna couldn't give proper thanks to him for the effort, and tried to move the conversation forward, away from what he _really_ wanted to say.

"I'm glad you at least like seeing _her_ ," he said, trying to find something good to take away from this experience.

Squall did; he was proud of his mother, despite having never known her. She was all the things he aspired to be: confident, disciplined, focused, and all while being so gentle and warm. That was something he was working on, with help from Rinoa.

 _Maybe I'm not supposed to have that much in common with Laguna. Maybe…that's what draws me to Rinoa. How different we are…_

"Hey, you can still eat it if you want it, pal," said the younger Laguna as he walked out of the room. That reminded Squall of _another_ reason he wasn't fond of his father.

 _Right, he's dumb. Rinoa's not dumb._

 _She's smart, warm, funny, cute…loving…caring—_

"Hey, I remember that guy!" said the present-day Laguna.

His shouting broke Squall's concentration, but upon looking up and out into the pub, the world abruptly stopped turning.

There, at the table with Raine, sat a man with a massive mane of hair that wove into his equally sizeable beard. Dark circles resided under his eyes, and his skin was gaunt and pale from what looked like a large amount of time of not having had anything to eat or drink. He appeared perfectly fine otherwise, and moved as though he was perfectly healthy.

But, the thing that struck Squall the most, were his eyes. They were a smoky gray, but they didn't seem like they'd always been that color. He could tell they had changed from whatever they once were. Whatever it was that he'd been through, had changed him into the man he saw before him, with his parents. They weren't lifeless, his eyes; they still showed he had character, charisma, and what's more, a sense of purpose. His movements and general way of carrying himself further indicated such. The last detail of this man that struck Squall was something that didn't make sense to him. Upon seeing him, he felt he'd known him his entire life, and his name was just on the tip of his tongue.

"Gosh, that's right. He's the guy that gave your mom that weird ring," said Laguna. Squall was completely still. So many thoughts were rushing through his head. What's more, they all connected perfectly; everything he was seeing now made absolute sense. While the realization of this man's identity was comforting, he still couldn't find the ability to speak.

"Hyne, what was his name? Leafer? No, that's not a name. Goner? Come on, Laguna, think like someone with a brain!"

"…Griever?" Squall choked. Laguna smacked his head and smiled at the answer.

"Yes! His name was Griever! Hey, how'd you know that? Did you meet him at one point during the war or something?"

Squall didn't answer. He swallowed nervously and just kept staring at the man. The man who Squall's ring, which symbolized great strength and pride, and had helped cement the Sorceress-Knight bond between Rinoa and he, had once belonged to. He embodied all of those properties, and more. The ring, for all he knew, was but an avatar of the beast that stood a few feet away from him.

"Squall?" asked Laguna.

The Commander felt his grasp on reality slipping once again. The room was beginning to blur, the image of his young parents began to melt away, and his father, who'd stood right in front of him, spoke in a voice that grew quieter and quieter. He was being pulled far away from the place he'd been sent to. Someone, or _something_ , had come to retrieve him, but all the while, the man who he now knew _was_ Griever, stayed perfectly in focus.

Just before Squall lost touch with the world he'd occupied for a short time, Griever turned to look up at him. He smiled at the Commander of SeeD, and despite the distance between them, measured not in feet and inches, but _years_ , Squall could feel their hearts beating in sync.

"… _We'll see each other again soon,"_ the man said.

Squall didn't respond. He couldn't, his throat was completely dry from his nerves. He watched as Griever disappeared into the darkness, and he wearily awoke on the road he'd been traveling on before.

"Squall! Squall, are you back?! Are you okay?!"

 _That voice..._

* * *

Ellone floated, formless in the very darkness she'd watched Squall, Laguna, and the memory she'd chosen fade away in. She looked out in every direction; where was she?

"Who's there?"

She whirled around to where she thought the voice had come from. It wasn't possible for someone _else_ to have accessed the link, was it? This person sounded like they weren't in control, that this alternate state of being was not only unfamiliar to them, but terrifying as well. As she tried to figure out how someone else could've joined her, she came to, and realized she knew that voice all too well.

"...Seifer?" she asked.

"I said who's there, damn it!" the ex-knight shouted back.

"Seifer! It's Ellone! Don't you recognize my voice?"

There came a grunt, intent on disregarding her question. She didn't care whether or not he could match a voice to a face; how the hell had he gotten here?

"What're you doing here, Seifer? How're you accessing the link?" she asked.

"The link? The hell are you talking about?" he retorted.

"This, Seifer. Someone can only come here if they can connect with others telepathically."

"Well, then call me a psychic, cause I've been here for a while."

That didn't make any sense. Ellone had been the only one to open the link to the past, and she was intent on closing it. If she hadn't heard Seifer's voice, she would've thought this was another sign of her powers not cooperating. What exactly was happening?

"What do you mean you've been here for a while?" she asked.

"You don't know? I thought you were the one making me see all of this crap to screw with me."

"Making you see all of this—Seifer, what are you talking about?!"

Just then, a bright white light pierced the void. It began to widen, and as Ellone felt her heart start racing once more, a cocky snort came from where the space Seifer occupied in the darkness.

"Better get ready, then. This isn't pretty."

* * *

The light that shone through the Headmistress' bedroom window were all that the sun had left to give. It, along with the moon, had bore witness to so many frivolous deaths, so much blood spilled in the name of what was seeming more and more like a lost cause. Those few rays of sunshine that lit Quistis' room could be interpreted as a heartbroken mother saying goodbye to another one of her children. So many had done that over the past few weeks already, it was something she'd become numb to. She pulled her crimson red vest tight over her SeeD uniform—something she still wore as she hadn't missed a day of training since her promotion to Headmistress—and headed out the door of her bedroom to the 2nd floor classroom.

What had once been a room for learning and helping young minds adjust to life as a SeeD, had now become a war room where she and her three closest friends—only two, now—would meet to plan Balamb's next move. It was tricky, constantly having to stay one step ahead of the Sorceress while maintaining a very, _very_ delicate treaty with her, but so far they had managed. When the doors slid open, she saw Seifer and Xu in their respective uniforms, both heavily decorated like hers.

"Headmistress," said Xu with a salute.

"Xu, Commander," she replied. Seifer gave a weary salute, causing Quistis to narrow her eyes at him.

"What?" he quipped.

"Salute your Headmistress, Seifer!" scolded Xu. Annoyed, the blonde stood, gave a firm salute, then plopped back down in his seat.

"Only because you asked _so_ nicely," he shot back at Xu. The brunette went to respond, but Quistis held up her hand, ceasing their arguing immediately.

"Seifer, don't take this as my endorsing your lack of professionalism, but we don't have time to bicker over things like this right now."

The gunblade specialist was inclined to smirk in light of his semi-victory, but once Quistis turned on the screen behind them, revealing several images of ruined cityscapes and barren wilderness, he could only clench his jaw. Fighting desperately not to slam his fists down on the table—the anger boiling inside of him threatening to spill over—he began their meeting in a far less punctual manner than either of his compatriots would.

"I'm getting sick of seeing this shit." Quistis whipped her head around and glared at him for his discourteous outburst.

"What, you aren't?"

"What kind of question is that? We're _all_ sick of this! But none of us are talking about it like it's some inconvenience that won't go away," Xu interjected. Seifer scoffed at the Headmistress' top advisor and pushed himself away from the table.

" _This_ isn't why I called this meeting," Quistis spoke quietly.

Her somber tone snapped the two of them out of their squabble and they turned their attention back to their leader. She cleared her throat, and then began her presentation.

"As of now, only four regions and their respective capitals remain in tact: FH, Esthar, Trabia, and Balamb. The entire Galbadian continent was...scorched, following what happened with Irvine." There was an unprecedented moment of silence to honor the loss of Galbadia Garden's Commander, as well as all those who the Sorceress and her Knight sought out after his death.

"It was after that nightmare ended that we met with them and signed that...worthless treaty," she continued.

"Worthless?" asked Xu.

"Thinking they're gonna make moves again?" Seifer interjected.

Quistis sat down at the table and laid out some photos taken by the one remaining satellite Esthar had.

"The Monster has been moving farther and farther towards Trabia whenever it flies out over the ocean. I believe they're preparing to move south from where they reside in Centra, and reemerge in the far north."

She moved her hand over to the most northern point on the map, and both Seifer and Xu knew where Quistis was going with this.

"Trabia? Why Trabia?" Xu asked.

"It's home to a Garden—a crumbling one at that. Selphie has only been able to do so much to keep it together after what happened to their Headmaster and Commander during the treaty negotiations." Seifer shook his head, grinding his teeth so as not to have an outburst.

"...Hyne, what was she trying to prove by killing them?" Xu wondered.

"That claiming they were neutral meant nothing to her," Seifer replied, growing further frustrated. He got out of his chair and began to pace back and forth next to the table.

"Seifer—"

"Just keep going! Either I do this or I break another table!" he snapped.

There was no malice in his demeanor, only incensed outrage over their predicament. Quistis continued.

"I've been wiring with Tilmitt these past few weeks—it's the only way to communicate overseas without gaining any unwanted attention—they're running out of supplies, and the environment in Trabia is beginning to wither away. The water is dirty, the earth is dry; I suspect the two of them are utilizing some type of sorcery to spoil the land. That would explain the Monster's behavior as of late; each time it ventures a little farther, it casts whatever spell they've developed to send the region into ruin." The two women looked up from the pictures when they heard Seifer's fist smash into the wall. He turned when he realized they'd stop talking and gestured for Quistis to keep going.

"...Anyway...their Garden can't go mobile like ours, and the treaty set up a perimeter that forbids them from entering the territory closest to them: Esthar. When these borders were first set up, it was with the idea that Trabians wouldn't need to venture out because of their bountiful natural resources, but with this foul play at hand, I say they have just a few weeks before they've completely exhausted their reserves."

"This is assuming the Sorceress doesn't carry out a pre-emptive strike," Seifer added.

He returned to the table and hastily scanned the photos. Even with Esthar's advanced technology, the Monster they'd come to fear was but a blur in the images. Only in one of them could he make out its great white mane, and the abundance of muscle throughout its bi-ped form.

"Is it a...lion? Or, a gryphon? What the hell does that guy turn into?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"It's ruthless, whatever it is. Do you remember him at the treaty meetings? He didn't show up looking like _that_ , but he didn't say a word, just the occasional...growl. He wouldn't respond to anyone but her. It was so...unsettling," added Xu.

Quistis rounded the papers up and put them aside.

"The matter at hand is Trabia's safety," she stated. Seifer reeled back from the table and folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't like this...if you're proposing we go out there to—"

"Seifer, they need our help," she responded calmly.

Contrary to his superior's cool and calm demeanor, Seifer balled his hand into a fist and slammed it down on the table.

"No, Quistis! No way are we sticking our neck out for them! It's too dangerous! If we get caught outside our borders, we're dead!" he yelled.

Though startled by his outburst, Xu turned to the Headmistress and nodded.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Seifer. This is way too risky. I don't want to leave them to die, but if the Sorceress is planning to violate her own treaty, we need to prepare ourselves for battle. If we lend our resources to Trabia in the hopes of helping them survive for however long we can, we're not going to be any better off."

A stern frown came over Quistis' face as she nodded in agreement with them. Seifer hadn't expected her to respond that way, and a foreboding knot began to form in his stomach.

"You're right, we can't _all_ go," she said plainly.

The knot tightened.

"Stop it," he insisted through a choked throat. The Headmistress turned and rose from her seat to get a better view of the screen.

"There aren't many Trabian SeeDs left. Most of them left the Garden to go be with their families, thinking this was the beginning of the end."

She turned back to address her colleagues, a steely resolve imbued into her eyes. The sheer determination behind what she was going to say was enough that even Seifer was taken aback by it.

"The ones that stayed don't have anywhere else to go. Garden is their home, and the SeeD credos is their way of life. If we let them die, we're turning our back on our own kind. Selphie's managed to keep everyone going; their will is strong. Imagine what kind of morale someone like her could inspire around here.

"We're the ones who've gotten off the easiest. We denied all affiliations with Galbadia after they killed Irvine. Then there's Zell...we lied through our teeth and said his was an independent action. We labeled him a traitor! Both times we were too scared to stand by our friends, and for what? So we could live out these damned days in shame?!

"Garden is more than that! SeeD is more than that! Selphie's continued to keep her people alive even after the death of _her husband_. What good are we if we do nothing to save her? What good are we if we do nothing to save the ones _she's_ saved?"

Quistis was the one slamming her hands down on the table now, and she leaned in to address her comrades as thus.

"Xu, you know all of my duties here as Headmistress. The diplomatic, managerial side of my job is all too well in your grasp."

She then turned to Seifer, who was still in shock at her change in demeanor.

"Seifer, you're right. If we _all_ go, we're as good as dead. But, if _I_ go...the two of you can begin preparations for war."

The two SeeDs directly beneath Quistis stared in disbelief at their leader. She'd both confirmed their inevitable demise at the hands of the Sorceress while vowing to do _everything_ it took to keep hope—false as it was—alive.

"Quistis, have you lost your mind?!" Seifer shouted. The Headmistress stared coldly at her subordinate. He didn't care.

"This is a suicide mission! Trabia's not gonna make it! I like Selphie as much as the rest of us, and…" He drew pause to stay collected.

"...And, Irvine and Zell...they were trying to fix this before anyone else thought to." He cleared his throat, and with that, ended his short lapse into sentimentality.

"But they're _dead_! They're dead and they're not coming back! We did what we had to in order to survive! What about _our_ cadets, _our_ SeeDs?! You've got this guilty conscious all of a sudden over what we did?! This isn't a time for guilt! It's a time for action! It's kill or be killed now!"

With that, Seifer drew out Hyperion, loaded it, and hung it over his shoulder.

"And, if anyone can hold that monster off, it's me."

Unmoved by his bold declaration, Quistis calmly gathered her papers and tucked them under her arm.

"That concludes today's meeting. Xu, make preparations for my departure to Trabia. That's an order."

The brunette saluted, despite her instincts screaming for her to stop her friend. Quistis saluted back, and then quickly exited the room.

"You're just gonna let her go?!" Seifer shouted.

Shaking, Xu could only slowly nod her head in response.

"...It's an order, Seifer."

 _Tch, like that ever mattered to me…_

The Commander stormed out of the room and into the hall, where he saw Quistis just about to board the elevator back to the third floor. He ran forward and grabbed the doors right as they were closing. Out of his peripheral, he could see Quistis' finger firmly pressing the "Door Close" button.

"So that's it? You're just up and heading to Trabia?! Not even a departing speech to everyone who looks up to you, or—"

"If you want to discuss this further, get in the elevator," the headmistress interrupted coolly. Still not sure what to make of her demeanor, the Commander stepped inside, Hyperion's tip dragging along the ground as he leaned up against the wall.

"And sheathe that thing," she added.

When the doors opened, Quistis stepped out into the hall that led to her chambers, and motioned for Seifer to take to one of the couches up against the adjacent walls.

"I don't feel like sitting," he spat. With another all too common eye roll, Quistis addressed her finest soldier for what would be their final engagement.

"This isn't a world where dreams can come true anymore, Seifer." The knot in his stomach had loosened when he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could convince her not to go if he ran after her. As her words tore every reason, every excuse, every witty retort he had planned to try and make her stay, the knot fastened, seizing his ability to speak entirely.

"Be thankful you got a chance to live it, at least for a while. Commander Seifer Almasy, the finest soldier Balamb had to offer—that'll be how you're remembered. If you go on this mission, the world won't be able to make sense of your death. 'Why would he go alone? Seifer Almasy was a leader, a strategist—why would he be so rash?'

"They'll catch a glimpse into who you were before I took you under my wing—that reckless, impulsive child. Your talents inspire fellow SeeDs and cadets on the field; no one knows about the demons you wrestle with, only me."

Quistis took a step forward, and the two locked eyes with each other.

"And, I didn't know then, but thanks to you, I got to live my dream. I experienced a love that I didn't think I was meant to, and with someone who I considered my equal. I got to live _my_ romantic dream...but, now it's all over. SeeD, Garden, everything we've fought for—not only to protect in the present, but to preserve for the future...it's all over."

She turned her back to him and began walking towards the door.

"If I can bring Selphie and the others back here, our last days won't be so glum. We'll all be together, both on and off the battlefield. Out of everything concerning their deaths, what bothered me most was that Irvine and Zell had to die alone. So, just let me _try_ to make it so we can see this out together."

Quistis was never one to be in denial. Whatever the issue, she would deal with it head-on. It was what caused her and Seifer to butt heads so often, but it was also what drew them to each other. Her frankness about their impending doom, however, was all but comforting to the Commander. She wasn't running from the inevitable, she was trying to soften the blow that would eventually hit.

"What about the test?" he asked, finding the ability to speak again. She didn't turn to face him.

"Seifer…"

"What did Kadowaki say? What were the results?"

She began walking forward and slowly opened the door to her office.

"I didn't take it." With that she glided through the doorway and pretended she didn't hear Seifer unsheathe Hyperion.

The couch she had gestured for him to sit on was torn to shreds. He hadn't had an outburst like this since he was a child, but to be double crossed like this called for more than just a visit to the training center to vent his frustrations.

"You _are_ running!" he yelled at the doors.

The woman he'd shared everything with—his fears, his worries, his hopes, his dreams—didn't reply. He waited; maybe she was just about to come through the door and challenge his accusation. When he heard another door from inside her office close, he knew she'd gone into her room, and that the dialogue was officially over. Defeated, Seifer turned back to the elevator and pressed the down button.

"You just know everything, huh?" he asked as the doors closed.

"You know what's best for me, for Selphie, for Garden, what would've been best for Irvine and Zell. But, now you're out of answers, and this is your way out of a problem you can't solve, isn't it?"

The doors opened to the first floor, and Seifer stepped out into the hallway. He shook his head slowly, and looked somberly down at the ground.

"This isn't a world where dreams come true anymore...got that right…"

* * *

The vision was gone. Ellone and Seifer had returned to the void, to total darkness. Tears streamed down the face she couldn't feel with hands she didn't have. Her legs gave way to her anguish, and she fell to her knees, or at least that's what she felt like she was doing.

"Yeah, I know…" replied Seifer glumly. Ellone coughed and choked as she desperately tried to speak, but her throat was dried and red from the heartbreaking vision…

 _No...it couldn't have been a vision. Not here…_

 _...Was that...a memory?!_

She lifted her head looked around to where she hoped Seifer might be.

"Seifer...what was that?"

"As far as I know, it's just another nightmare."

"Nightmare? You mean you've seen _more_ of this?" While she couldn't see him, she knew he'd nodded in response.

"They've been coming to me over the past few months or so. I thought it was you; I thought you were showing me a life I could've had as punishment for where I've ended up."

"Seifer...I would never! You know we don't hate—"

Footsteps echoed in the vast space. She sensed he was closer, and that something had been extended to her, waiting for her to take hold of it. When she reached out, Seifer calloused hand took hold of hers and pulled her up to her feet.

"I know. When I started seeing all of _this_ , I didn't know what to think anymore. I only called you out earlier to see if maybe you knew anything about it."

Ellone searched her mind for a possible answer to his question; what was causing this? Why was he having these "nightmares"? If it had been happening over the past few months, that meant it could tie in with Rinoa's incidents, as well as Griever's arrival in this time.

 _Could they be connected?_

Potential connections aside, there was one thing Ellone _had_ become sure of. Whatever they had just witnessed, and whatever Seifer had seen over the past few months were not just visions, they were _memories_. Why they were only coming to Seifer when he was asleep, she couldn't say, but in this space; an existential existence in which their consciences made clear paths through their minds–and their hearts—anything and everything they saw was something from the past. She'd spent all of her life honing her ability to work within its confines, and manipulate it in hopes of changing the past. Although she'd failed in achieving her goal, she still understood how it worked, and what its limitations were. They could see the past, but they could never change it. If there was ever a moment where she would've wanted to change the past, it would've been right then and there, to protect Quistis from whatever it was she was going to face.

 _They kept saying the Sorceress...could it be?_

"Seifer...the Sorceress you and Quistis talked about, who was it?"

"Who do you think?" he replied quickly.

She wasn't surprised, but to see the effects of Ultimecia's campaign first hand was devastating none the less.

Seifer turned to face the other way, to hide how vulnerable the mention of her made him feel. Ellone didn't need to see him to know that the late Sorceress' name shook the man to his very core.

"Yup, it's her. Along with her real Knight, too. I know I was a puppet, but I didn't know I was a replacement—a lackluster one, at that."

 _Her real Knight…_

"Seifer, she had another Knight?" Ellone asked, pretending as though she didn't already know. She needed to get as much information from him as possible; anything he could tell her would shed light on just about anything Griever couldn't.

"He doesn't say much. Looks like he's under stronger mind control than I was. But, he's a monster. He does everything she tells him to. I've seen a lot of battles—or, ends of them—where me and whoever else has survived are retreating, and behind us is this giant winged demon. It's definitely him, he turns into it. I gotta say, at first glance, it looked like that stupid ring Squall wears."

There it was. Seifer had seen Griever in these memories blindly serving Ultimecia. If he was under mind control, then it made sense why Griever could recall so little of his past—including _fighting the very people he was now trying to save_. Oddly enough, what bothered Ellone the most was that her friends had all been a part of—no, they were _leaders_ in the monstrous SeeD the Knight had spoken of; the force that drove him and Ultimecia into retaliating as mercilessly as they did.

 _Seifer's Commander of Balamb Garden in this timeline...and Quistis is Headmistress._

 _Selphie's still at Trabia, and apparently Irvine was Commander at Galbadia Garden._

 _Zell...an isolated incident? Did he defect from Balamb? Or violate one of those treaties they talked about?_

 _...Where were Squall and Rinoa?_

"Seifer, where—"

Before she could get out her question, another light appeared off in the distance. It wasn't opening, however. Someone had opened the link to someone _else's_ memories. From where Ellone and Seifer stood, they could access it if they wanted to. With a new objective, Ellone turned to the light.

"Hey, don't follow that light! You don't want to see anymore of this world, Ellone!" warned the ex-knight.

Ellone ignored his warning, and began moving towards it.

"Ellone, don't! You don't know what's on the other side of that!" he yelled to her.

She turned to face him just before she entered it.

"That's why I have to go, Seifer." With that, she dove into the memory that was playing out for someone else to see. Before the light cleared and she was able to see again, there was one question on her mind that dwarfed all the others.

 _If_ _I'm not the one doing this, who is?_

Who would want to show us the lives that we don't remember having?

...What have they to gain?

* * *

A/N:

Figured I'd start the new year off with revealing the character everyone's been waiting to show up :D

I know it's a lot, but...well, actually, I can't say anything, really, without spoiling what's to come. So...sorry, lol.

Thanks to _h34rt1lly_ , _Layla Evercrest,_ and _lecritic_ for your reviews last chapter. Hope everyone enjoys this update, next one coming soon!


	10. The Magician's Assistant

**Chapter 9: The Magician's Assistant**

* * *

Through her binoculars, Selphie could see a cloud of smoke rising from the distant hills of Dollet. She could trace where it was relative to the town, and determined whatever had happened had taken place near the communication tower.

 _Ugh. We need to go_ there?  
 _This thing is organized; cutting off communications everywhere it goes, but what's it trying to accomplish?_

Irvine walked up beside her and gestured for the binoculars. When she handed them to him, she pounded her hands on the railing, frustrated she couldn't think of a motive for who, or _what_ , was doing all of this.

"Hm, that's that tower you guys went to, right?" he asked, bringing the binoculars down from his face.

"Yeah. The Dollet Dukedom never decided to dismantle it after the war. I think they use it to communicate via cable with Timber now," she replied.

"The two towns that suffered the most from Galbadia's campaign interact on a frequency no one else can pick up on, huh?"

"That's what Rinoa's friends in The Forest Owls told her. Galbadia might not be a threat anymore, but, even with their pulling out of Timber shortly after the war ended, everyone in the region is still on the fence about them."

There were no two ways about it when it came to Selphie's professionalism. Irvine hadn't kept up with the changing political climate since they'd returned, unless it had something to do with Rinoa. Somewhere in between running almost every committee in Garden, along with keeping tabs on how the repairs were going in Trabia, Selphie found time to catch up on world events.

The two heard heavy footsteps from behind them, and turned to see Griever approaching.

"I see a pattern," he said to the couple. Selphie rolled her eyes at the Knight.

"Well, duh! It's attacking port towns and then disabling their communications systems so they can't call for help. I guess it didn't plan on SeeD intervening, did it?" she touted.

"Maybe…" Griever replied ominously.

Irvine thought to press the Knight further on his response, but there was something else he was curious about instead.

"It's been almost three hours. Where's Ellone?" he asked.

"Fast asleep. From the looks of it, her attempts at stalling Squall are going well."

Selphie sighed, sounding more down than usual.

"Something wrong?" the Knight asked.

"I just hate to think that Squall's become so...unstable. I know Rinoa has a knack for spontaneity, but she never did anything she didn't want to. She still hasn't—everything she's done so far has been because of something else. But, now Squall's...worse?"

Irvine pulled his partner close to him and cradled her side. Griever, on the other hand, had no intention of comforting anyone—not now, at least.

"This is something we can worry about once we reach Balamb. Ellone's handling her brother right now, and there's nothing we can do about Rinoa until we take care of _this_."

Irvine narrowed his eyes at his client from under the brim of his hat, but Selphie nudged him in the stomach for him to stop.

"You really think whatever _this_ is could cause us more problems?" she asked, her professionalism trumping her worries.

"Any kind of external stress is something to be concerned about. A mimic, something practically out of a fairy tale, shows up and begins rampaging through select cities _just_ as I come into contact with you two? Ellone's powers not working correctly for the past six months, or, since I arrived? It all falls into place a little too well, don't you think?" the Knight replied.

"If Rinoa's powers hadn't started acting up before you arrived, I'd think to blame you for all of this," Irvine bluntly interjected. Selphie threw a much more forceful nudge into his side, but Griever didn't mind his comment.

"When we find this 'mimic,' it'll confirm one of two things." Griever turned to face the couple directly, having grown weary of gazing at the foreboding citiscape they'd soon be docking at.

"Either this is all a result of mine and Ultimecia's meddling with the timeline, and these are just roadblocks to time-space righting itself…"

The Knight seemed to have trouble finishing his statement, but Selphie didn't want to wait.

"Or?!" she exclaimed insistently.

Griever let out a heavy-hearted sigh before responding.

"Or someone's trying to stop us."

* * *

Zell hopped out of the car as he pulled into town, already seeing he was too late.

"Damn! This thing moves fast!"

He threw the keys to the woman standing outside the car rental building. Transfixed on the smoke, the keys landed on the ground to no one's dismay. He ran down the main street to the water fountain in the center of town.

 _Aw come on! I gotta go back_ there _?!_

Looking up at the communication tower, he pushed through crowds of people in the streets and stumbled into the town square. There was no sign of damage here, but _something_ had exploded, or was at least set aflame up in the hills leading away from town.

 _First it messes with the communication systems at Garden, and now here. What the hell is going on?_

He turned back to the crowd, who were still mesmerized by the sight.

"Hey!" he yelled. They all snapped out of their trance and turned their attention to him.

"The hell happened here?!"

One man stepped forward from the crowd.

"Some clown thing ran through here from the beach. It flew in, landed, then for some reason, took to the hills through town on foot. Along the way it…"

"It what? What did it do?!"

Zell's impatience had gone from one to ten in seconds. His emotions were already running on high because of the sudden rush for him to leave Balamb after The Mimic attacked it, then to go _all_ the way over to Timber, and finally to Dollet to keep after it. All the while, his friend and Commander, Squall, had just confessed to him that he and Rinoa would eventually take over the world and either enslave, or destroy all of humanity. He'd left that part out while on the phone with Selphie, but it had been in the back of his mind every second since he and Squall had had that talk in his room. He played it off like a SeeD, but it wore on his conscience like it would anybody else.

"It…kept changing shapes. It looked like it was…morphing?"

"Morphing? This thing flew in from the direction of Balamb, right?!"

The man nodded.

"Alright, everyone get back to your homes! SeeD's been called in and we're taking care of this, but we need the streets evacuated in case that thing comes running back down here!"

The crowd chattered loudly amongst themselves, hearing what Zell had said, but not making any effort to heed his warnings.

"Hey!" he yelled, grabbing their attention once more.

"Go home!"

The crowd quickly dispersed as Zell turned his attention back to the hills above him. Memories of running from the X-ATM092 with Squall and Selphie flashed across his mind as he made his way up the very hills he'd thought he was sure to die in, even with his fellow cadets by his side. Slowly, his gait waned as he noticed more and more articles of clothing lying by the sides of the walkway, giving him pause and stopping to inspect them.

 _Was this thing carrying all of these clothes with it or something?_

It seemed strange that a creature that could take the form of anything and anyone, would need garments to change in and out of. Yet, Zell recognized one particular article of clothing along the way and stopped cold. He knelt down and picked up a Balamb Garden student uniform without a name tag.

 _This thing could've been infiltrating the Garden for who knows how long…but why?_

He looked farther ahead and saw a white t-shirt and pair of jeans lying next to each other. They were as generic looking as any other combination of those clothes, but a pile of overlapping belts lay next to the jeans that he recognized all too well.

 _These are Squall's! He's the only guy that wears these weird belts. Was this thing impersonating_ him _at one point?_

That could've meant anything. Someone impersonating the Commander would have every cadet and SeeD under their thumb. The entirety of Garden's military force was at Squall's disposal, and their loyalty to him was to a fault. The Mimic could've gotten them to do just about anything it wanted.

 _Rinoa…Quistis…the Headmaster and Matron…_

Rinoa knew Squall was in Balamb with Zell. Did Quistis? Surely she would've figured out that he carried out his part of their plan when she went to visit Rinoa, right?

 _That's if she actually went…She said she was going to see the headmaster and Matron first…_

Zell looked around quickly to see if any of his other comrades' clothing was lying around, but he didn't see anything that looked like theirs anywhere. While relieved, the consequences of this thing impersonating Squall had too much potential to wind up causing a huge amount of trouble—especially considering Rinoa's current condition.

There came a rustling from the bushes behind him, and Zell quickly turned, his fists up and ready to smash whatever was coming for him. In true anticlimactic fashion, a lowly geezard waddled out from the shrubbery and slithered along the ground.

 _Oh, nevermind—_

Then came a second one, then a third, and another one after that. Soon he heard sounds coming from the side of the hill, and when he looked over, he saw two anacondaur slithering their way up towards him.

 _Crap, I forgot all about the monsters around here!_

Knowing there was little time, the martial artist grabbed Squall's clothes and darted up towards the communication tower. Coming across the ledge from where Squall and Selphie had decided to jump down during their field exam, Zell shook his head and kept walking.

 _Didn't wanna do it then, don't wanna do it now…_

The billowing smoke wasn't far from where he was, and he could see that it wasn't actually coming from anywhere someone could walk to. The Mimic must've thrown a Fire spell at the side of the mountain or something, because that's all there was to see. He tried leaning over to see if maybe it was perched on the mountainside, but it was nowhere to be seen. Not that he had any idea of how this thing behaved anyway, but having no idea what it acted like didn't make him a fool for checking. He pulled back from the edge and turned back around.

 _Hyne!_

The Mimic had appeared behind him without making so much as a sound. It crouched on the ground and stared at him through the tiny slit in its cloak for it to see through. Zell couldn't make out any sign of there being a human under that cloak, and the two circles of white light that shone through the slit were only a further indicator that this thing was supernatural.

"Dincht?" it asked.

It's voice sounded just as it had before it summoned the Quake spells back at the harbor. If his eyes had been closed, Zell would've pictured a thousand men and women saying his name; a thousand men and women who sounded tired and sickly; a thousand men and women who had suffered tremendously, and were forced to live their lives in agony. His eyes were open though, and there was only one person—no, one _thing—_ in front of him. It hadn't moved since saying his name. Even the wind seemed unable to move its clothes in the passing breeze.

"Zell Dincht?" it asked again.

Zell swallowed nervously and slowly rose to his feet. The mimic did _exactly_ as he did, in sync with his every move, right down to his breathing.

"What…are you?" asked Zell, scared to even hear the thing's voice again.

"I am the Mimic," it replied simply.

 _That voice—no, those voices; how is this even possible?_

"Does the sound of my voice frighten you, Zell Dincht?" the Mimic asked.

The martial artist clenched his fists as he couldn't give an answer. He may as well have admitted to crapping his pants, though; from the face he was making, no one would be fooled into thinking he wasn't scared speechless.

The Mimic slowly began to move toward him. Zell quickly edged backwards, and the Mimic did the same.

"What do you want?" asked Zell.

"Want?" echoed the Mimic.

Zell's fears were quickly trumped by his impatience for any kind of mind games this thing might try to pull.

"Don't act like you're confused! You have a reason for being here. What is it?!"

The Mimic turned its head to observe Zell from a different angle. It was taking in its subject from a different perspective; studying it more closely and differently than it had before.

"Your friends take you for a fool. They shouldn't; you're bright."

Zell adjusted his feet and was bracing himself to fight. The Mimic, choosing to forego it's MO, revealed its arms from under its cloak, showing a gunblade as one, and a whip as the other.

"I'll strike you into submission, and then cut you to pieces if you even think about it, Dincht," the Mimic stated bluntly.

Zell reluctantly stood down, and the Mimic drew its arms back in under its cloak.

"So, what do I want, was that the question? That's what you wanted to know, right?" it asked.

Zell felt like he was going to throw up at the sound of its voices. His head was spinning as a result of hearing them; was this some kind of spell it was casting?

"You seem like you need help. Good thing you chose not to fight. It would've been a disaster for you."

"Shut up! Is _this_ your game? Take people by surprise and just screw with them until you've had your fill of fun? What the hell did you do over here? Why'd you blow up a random part of the hillside?"

"I was curious as to whether the SeeDs would come running to a simple smoke signal. More importantly though, you've found your voice! I'm happy for you. If you find your voice, that means I'll be able to use it when I take your form."

Zell shuddered at the sound of that and put up his fists again.

The Mimic sighed a thousand sighs, and drew out the same weapons it'd made its arms appear as before.

"This doesn't bode well for you. Squall and Quistis are masters of their craft. Do you think you could beat either of them one-on-one? If you even had to think about an answer to that, then there's absolutely no way you'd be able to defeat _both_ , Zell."

"I'm not fighting them! I'm fighting you!" he yelled, winding up a duel.

If the Mimic was going to fight like Quistis and/or Squall, it wouldn't be able to imitate his martial arts at the same time, he thought. Being restricted to two very particular ways of fighting would give Zell the advantage of surprise. The Mimic withdrew its weapons into its cloak and its arms reemerged as Zell had seen them before. This time however, it held an oak stave, and was preparing to wield it like Zell would've imagined a wizard would, just like in the fairy tales he'd heard as a child.

"To answer your question from before; as a fitting way to send you off, I am the Mimic. I wish to parody yours and everyone else's existence until I am content. My true purpose has only come to light in recent centuries, but you need not be concerned with that. I'll finish you here, and when your friends arrive, I'll—or 'you'll'—be telling them the Mimic got away. The best part of that is, I, or rather, 'you', won't be lying."

That was one word too many from this thing for Zell. He lunged forward with a Mach Kick. The Mimic cast Protect on itself and took the blow with ease. It swung its staff to its left and quickly cast Thundaga on Zell. Junctioned differently than he was before, Alexander's quadruple elemental defenses allowed him to take very little damage from the spell, and he leapt at the Mimic's torso. He lifted him up in the air above his head, jumped up, then came flying back down into the ground, bouncing the thing off the ground, and watched it land on its back. He'd managed to land a Meteor Strike, but as Zell landed, it quickly stood back up. Despite the fact that it was a weight-based attack and its Protect spell would have no effect on it, the Mimic seemed almost completely unfazed.

"Oh come on! That was dead on!" yelled Zell.

"It was. It hurt. My turn." The Mimic twirled its staff in front of itself and called upon a non-elemental spell. Zell felt intense heat form around him; it was a Flare spell. Knowing he wouldn't be able to absorb it, he channeled his Regen spells into his spirit, and despite being swallowed by the explosion, emerged with only a few minor singes on his clothes and in his hair.

 _Damn it! I was having a good hair day, too!_

"Oh, you fight even better without the others, too. Squall's the hero and yet here you are, cleaning up after his mess from Balamb."

"Don't try to play mind games with me, freak! You're no Seifer!" Zell yelled back.

"…Oh?"

The Mimic snapped its fingers and a blurred assortment of colors dashed to and from the trail of clothes Zell had found leading up the hill. Before him stood a Seifer look-a-like in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, with multiple belts crisscrossing over his hips; not a single article of clothing fit him.

"Ugh, why did he have to be so damn tall?" asked the Mimic in its new form. The faux Seifer looked at Zell, who didn't flinch at its menacing glare.

"Unfettered, I see."

A gunblade resembling the Hyperion appeared in The Mimic's left hand, and it assumed Seifer's combat pose.

"Oh man…BRING IT ON!"

Zell had been waiting to wail on Seifer since the day they'd met, so wailing on a faux Seifer would work all the same for him. The Mimic charged forward and swung the blade side-to-side to cut through Zell. Quickly parrying, Zell came up from underneath and uppercut the Mimic right through the chin. The real Seifer may've been able to prevent that, and if he hadn't, he wouldn't have gone as high in the air as this one did. Zell readied a Dolphin Blow to let loose on him as he fell. Having learned from the last fight that this thing was quite adept at countering moves from the air, when Zell went to lay out the attack, he jumped upwards and back as the faux Seifer swung fast and hard toward the ground beneath him. Doing nothing but scraping the edge of his sword on the rock, Zell finished the attack from the air and directly into the Mimic's face. A wave of water charged out from the impact and sent the creature flying into a nearby wall.

Zell smashed his fist into the ground and began to pump himself up more.

"That all you got, Almasy?"

Was he really pretending to fight Seifer? Maybe this would be the Mimic's fatal mistake.

"So…you pretend to be other things, too?" it asked in its original voice.

Zell shook off the comment and started hopping back and forth.

"Let's go, whatever you are! Wanna talk trash and say I'm cleaning up the mess? Guess that means you're out of here!"

The Mimic snapped its fingers and abruptly changed back to its original form.

"Don't pretend you actually comprehend the gravity of my presence, Dincht!" it shouted.

The voices that came forth now carried a taste for blood. This thing may've just been toying with him during their fights, even with its destroying a harbor and blowing up a mountainside.

"Double!" it shouted. As soon as the purple waves faded from around it, it held up its staff and incanted another spell.

"Stop!"

Zell didn't have a chance to junction his status-defense, and was frozen in place by two stop spells.

"Just in case the first one missed," the Mimic mocked.

It moved slowly toward Zell and gently caressed his face. Zell wanted nothing more than to head-butt this thing as hard as possible, but as it took in every facet of his body, he felt like it was learning everything about him, and was going to follow through on its threat from before.

"Just think, your mother will never even know! You should be thankful, really. I'm going to spare your 'Ma' the horror of having to grieve over a dead child."

The Mimic drew its arms and staff into its cloak, then pulled them back out as two gunblades. They weren't imitating any particular model this time; they didn't need to. It only needed them for one purpose, and that didn't involve tricking anyone into thinking he was someone else this time.

The Mimic stood back and began running the blades over each other as a butcher would over a piece of meat.

"Now, where to begin?"

* * *

Shallow waves touched the backs of their boot heels as Irvine, Selphie, and Griever surveyed the city from the Dolletian shore. For a bustling city like Dollet, the deserted beach and streets made for an unsettling quiet.

"I can literally only hear the crackle of fire, and that's coming from all the way over _there_ ," said Irvine, pointing where the smoke stack billowed into the skies.

"Zell probably got everyone to go back into their homes," suggested Selphie.

"Did he confirm he'd arrived?" Griever asked.

Selphie shook her head.

"But that's a rental car from Timber if I've ever seen one." She directed their attention to an old beat up station wagon that was made up of parts made from different types of cars. Timber had only been liberated from Galbadian occupation for a year—to say that their economy was having a hard time rebuilding itself was an understatement.

"Well, unless someone else was dying to make the trip, than that's proof enough for me," said Irvine. Griever nodded in agreement, and began walking towards the stairs leading up to the town's business district.

The apartments on top of the various storefronts along the boardwalk all had their lights on, and against the red flushed twilight of dusk, it was clear their various residents had returned home.

"Looks like Selphie's right: he did his job. Are you two junctioned?"

The SeeD and her hired-gun of a boyfriend nodded.

"Right. Let's head out."

"Wait, what about you?" the little warrior asked. Griever shook his head with a confident smile.

"I'll be fine." Before she or Irvine could prompt him any further, there came a loud rumbling from up in the hills. A massive force had just smashed into the ground, one that the two of them were familiar with.

"That's his Meteor Strike," remarked Irvine.

"Oh, good! He's winning!" Selphie cheered.

The Knight held out his hand, gesturing the other two to be quiet. He closed his eyes for a moment, then unsheathed his sword as a menacing scowl came over his face.

"It's toying with him. We need to move, now!"

Without waiting for his proxies, the Knight moved quickly through the streets at a speed that belied his size. If Selphie hadn't yanked Irvine forward to follow, he'd have been left pondering over how Griever could move so quickly, as though his every move was enhanced by Haste.

When the three crossed the bridge over into the Dolletian hills, Griever stopped again, holding out his arm to halt their charge.

"What's that?" he asked. Selphie turned to her left to see a lone Geezard slither down the walkway. Perhaps the least menacing monster on the planet, it let out a low pitched gurgling as opposed to any kind of growl or roar.

"It's a Geezard—literally the weakest monster I've ever fought. Those things make Bite Bugs look like Marlboro's." Griever looked at her with confusion, the reference lost on him.

"I take it we shouldn't be afraid of it, then?"

"We fought Geezards in Ultimecia's Castle, how do you not know what it is?" asked Irvine.

"The key part of that phrase is they were there when _you_ were there," the Knight replied unenthusiastically.

What could've turned into another one of their back-and-forths was quickly interrupted when four more Geezards slithered out from the bushes. When shadows began to loom over them, indicating more monsters were coming, Selphie and Irvine drew out their weapons.

"Looks like we'll have to cut these down before we can—"

"We don't have time for that!" interrupted Griever.

Leaping forward, Griever took in the hoard of various Geezards, Anacondaurs—and now Funguars and Buels as well—that were awaiting them on the road ahead. A pale green light shot up around him, and Griever began incanting a spell.

"Magic? I thought he wasn't junctioned?" asked Irvine.

"Seifer could use magic without junctions when he became Matron's Knight, right? Maybe Griever can—"

He spread his legs beneath him and held his sword out in front of him.

"Ultima!"

From the center of the swarming beasts, a combination of green, yellow, and orange light swirled within a black vortex. It pulled in on itself for a brief second before exploding outwards, eviscerating every last monster that stood before them. When the smoke cleared from the powerful, albeit strangely focused and controlled explosion, Irvine and Selphie could only look on in disbelief.

 _He had complete control over the spell. The cobblestone isn't even marred by the explosion…_

The sharpshooter stepped forward to ask what the hell he'd just seen, until Selphie thought better on letting him act on anything he was thinking at that moment.

"It's just...it's just something _he_ can do," she whispered.

"You're not even a little curious?" Irvine whispered back.

"I mean, he did it with the Water spell, remember? Asking more questions about his powers might make him upset!"

Irvine had a difficult time hanging onto the idea that this was a person they were with, and not some freak experiment spawned from the mind of a demented Sorceress. He relented in his curiosity, as what Selphie was really saying was: "We need to move."

The Knight turned back to the young couple and waved them forward.

"Get ready to fire the minute we get up there; Zell's in trouble." The Knight wasted no time and hurried back up the road. Selphie ran after him, leaving Irvine to slowly follow while trying to load Exeter.

"Wait! Should I use Pulse Ammo or—"

Both warriors were too far ahead to hear him, let alone respond.

"Ugh. Fine, Normal Ammo. A bullet's a bullet."

* * *

The Mimic looked up from it's soon-to-be victim when the sound of a massive explosion rang out throughout the hills.

"Hmmmm...If I didn't know better, I'd say your friends are here—and they brought an old acquaintance of mine with them."

Zell couldn't respond, his entire body still frozen solid from the casting of Stop.

"He'll know it's me should I take your form. I guess your 'Ma' will grieve her child's death after all."

The Mimic ran the blades over each other one last time. It lifted up its right arm and went to bring it down on Zell, when a bullet pierced the space right between its eyes and came out the other side.

"Bullseye!" yelled Irvine from afar.

An Esuna spell washed over Zell, and he was free to move. Wasting no time between his recovering and almost being slaughtered like a pig, he lunged forward and began using Duel after Duel on the Mimic's ever-weakening body. A Booya, followed by a Mach Kick, followed by a Heel Drop; he had no intention of letting up after what this monster had tried to do to him. Knowing it had tried to impersonate his friends, and even infiltrate their home and possibly ruin their lives, made every hit land all the more succinctly. The Mimic was putty in his hands to be mashed and molded by his fists. He prepared to finish it off with a Final Heaven, before someone quickly grabbed him, and pulled him back.

"No!"

Zell unleashed the attack on the ground beneath him and the pavement caved under the impact.

Unharmed, but furious that someone had stopped him from taking the Mimic out once and for all, he emerged from the pit and walked up to the person who'd grabbed him.

"Hey, what the frickin' hell?! I was just about done with this guy!"

"It has Return Damage junctioned. Look at your hands, Zell," said the man who'd grabbed him.

"Huh?" Zell looked down and saw his knuckles were mashed and bloodied worse than he'd ever seen. It looked like someone had taken serrated blades right to his hands and hacked away at them, almost to the bone. He would've screamed, but his adrenaline gave out and he passed out on the spot.

Griever caught him just before he hit the ground and handed him off to Selphie.

"Get him back to the ship, now! Hurry!" he ordered.

The little warrior ran back down the hill while Irvine kept his rifle locked on The Mimic, who still lay motionless on the ground.

"Had your fill?" Griever asked it.

The Mimic slowly turned its head up to see the beast of a man staring back at him. It oozed an insidious laugh and slowly rose to its feet, completely unharmed.

"Long time, Griever," it mocked.

"I wanted to believe you were dead—or at the very least, trapped in a time warp. But, seems you got lucky. Did you follow me here?" The Mimic leapt up to the top of the hill and bellowed a laugh that echoed for miles, before continuing.

"Oh, the mighty Knight remains as stalwart as ever. Valiant, even. You know, I would never concede this to one of them, but you're actually going to make things difficult for me. Think you'll be able to bear your burden _and_ stop me?"

Griever narrowed his eyes and transfixed his glare on the creature

"What is it you want?" Griever asked, a low growl emitting with each breath.

"Your memory still eludes you, doesn't it? The years when you were just a human in love with a Sorceress; you still can't remember those days, can you?"

Griever withdrew his sword and held it out.

"I can impale you where you stand! Say one more word about my past and…"

The Mimic shook its head and held out its hands to the Knight.

"Oh, Griever, _I_ don't know the details. But, I always found it curious _you_ couldn't recall them. Neither could the Sorceress, may she rest in peace…"

Irvine cocked his gun and moved his finger over the trigger. Griever held out his hand telling him to hold off.

"…What do you want?" he asked again, his voice growing uneasy. The Mimic looked across the way to where Irvine stood, with his rifle focused on him.

"I want so, so much, Griever." It leapt down from the cliff, off to the side of where it once lay.

"But, there's only so much you can all give me, isn't there?" The Mimic began to slowly walk away from the Knight.

"You're not leaving without answering me!" shouted Griever, his voice reverberating around them for miles. Irvine actually had to flick his ears to check if his hearing had been damaged. How the hell could they project their voices like that?

The Mimic turned back to him and sighed.

"One thing I want very much, is for you to recall your early life; all of it. I don't know exactly how that'll come about, if at all." The Mimic brought out its right hand and aimed its open palm at Griever. The Knight readied his sword and held it out in front of him, prepared to draw.

"This isn't magic, Griever."

The Knight grew still, not wanting to break his concentration, but unsure if the Mimic was preparing a physical attack instead. That would be a fool's endeavor, especially on someone like Griever, from something as frail as the Mimic.

"But, I fear it will hurt nonetheless." A bright yellow light shot out from its palm and directly into Griever's eyes. Irvine fired multiple shots, but even though they pierced the creature's cloak, they caused no damage to its body underneath. It snapped its fingers and vanished before Irvine could make it down to them.

Griever was on his knees, his hands over his eyes, screaming out in agony. It was the first time Irvine had seen the Knight bested, and to see a man like him in such a vulnerable state was unsettling to say the least.

"Griever, what is it? What's happening?!" yelled Irvine.

Unbeknownst to Irvine, the Mimic had forced the Knight into the link with its spell. Unable to stop the speed of which his conscience was rushed through space and time, Griever was sent somewhere he did not recognize, and therefore could not trust.

His past.

* * *

A/N

Thanks to _LaylaEvercrest, h34rt1lly, lecretic, yadda wadda baddaboom,_ and _Rasivel_ for your reviews on the last update!

And thanks to _yadda wadda baddaboom_ and _borntup_ for following and favoriting the story, not to mention reading it in it's entirety lol.

My fight chapters seem to be shorter than my expository chapters. I don't know, maybe it's because when things come to blows, the time words is over :p

Hope you all enjoy Zell's 1v1 with the Mimic. There's two more chapters after this before the crew is reunited, so strap in. S #$ is about to get _real...er_.


	11. Do Not Look Down

**Chapter 10: Do Not Look Down**

* * *

Ellone opened her eyes to a snowy landscape. Putrid wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see, and the snowfall did little to conceal the rotting earth beneath her. When she extended her hand to try and catch a snowflake—an instinct carried over from when she was a child—she realized her physical form had been restored. She may've noticed sooner, had it not been for her disparaged surroundings, that her body was fully intact, and Seifer was standing just a few feet away from her.

"Damn it, I told you not to go through the light! I thought SeeDs were supposed to follow orders," he quipped.

"You're one to talk about following orders, let alone listening to anyone at all," she retorted. The blond would be lying if he wasn't impressed by her unprecedented—at least to him—wit, and nodded in concession.

"Touché," he replied. "It's been a while, but if memory serves, we're in Trabia."

The White SeeD Commander took in her surroundings once more. She was used to the snow serving as a light veil over the bountiful forests and lush greenery; if Seifer's guess held true, the entire continent had been laid to waste.

"This is what Quistis was talking about in that vision, wasn't it?" she asked him.

"Looks like it." Trying his best to hide how cold he was, Seifer kept his back to Ellone as he ran his hands up and down his arms to warm himself. He was only wearing a tank top and sweatpants, far from ideal clothing for this weather. Then again, he probably had no intention of coming here when he'd gone to bed earlier that night.

It had only been a year, but Seifer had remained in tip-top shape since Laguna granted him asylum in Esthar. His days spent tracking down monsters left over from the Lunar Cry had done well to keep him as strong as he'd been during the war. The isolation from the rest of the world had given him some much needed time to himself, as well as a means to avoid the daily persecution he would face if he were just released back into the public. Laguna hoped that detailing his progress on the Great Plains Of Esthar would help him gain favor with the World Council, and as a result, their people. Perhaps he'd be able to make a decent showing at his appealment trial in a few years, but Ellone suspected these visions were hurting him far more than he was letting on. Scared to pry, and to possibly alienate the only other person with her in this strange place, she phrased her next question carefully.

"So...what else have you seen?"

The question didn't seem to bother him as much as she'd thought it would.

"Not much regarding all of this. You heard what Trepe said back there. I'm her star pupil...amongst other things."

Ellone was still having trouble processing that. Seifer Almasy was a good student in this world. No, Seifer Almasy was a _great_ student in this world. He was a SeeD, and eventually the _Commander_ of Balamb Garden. His prowess as a fighter had been channeled by his teacher, and he'd exponentially as a result. What had Quistis done differently in this world that she hadn't done in theirs?

"...What else?" she asked. Seifer finally turned to face her, a defensive scowl on his face.

"If you're asking about me and Trepe, then—"

"No, I mean what else have you seen?"

"Oh…" His scowl faded, and the ex-Knight looked off into the distance as he contemplated an answer.

"Mostly my life at Balamb. Chicken-wuss is still obnoxious, but we tolerate each other. He's Head Instructor there. The cowboy is the Commander at Galbadia, and Selphie never transfers out from Trabia. She's the life of the place. I forget how, but she still ends up meeting Irvine, and...well, you know the rest. Love, marriage...and then this…"

"What happened? Where did Ultimecia and Griever come from?" Ellone inquired. Seifer shrugged and shook his head.

"I haven't actually seen the moment where I learn of their...arrival. I have scattered memories, though, of Irvine and Quistis debating over what to do about them. Apparently SeeD just sort of...hunts sorceresses in this world. I don't know what makes the two of them different, but instead of a full scale attack as usual, there's all of this crap about treaties and negotiating. I sure as shit don't understand it, but...for lack of a better term, the "other me" kind of does. Or, at least, he listens to Quistis when she says it's imperative we do it, or something."

She had been patiently waiting for him to mention Squall and Rinoa. Hell, even a mention of Laguna or herself would help fill in the blanks on one of the charts hidden away in her room. If he wasn't going to offer it on a silver platter, she'd just have to pull it out of him.

"Seifer, what about Squall and Rinoa?"

Again, Seifer shrugged, this time rather nonchalantly.

"Squall doesn't go to Balamb. He's still the only other gunblade specialist, though. We know each other, acknowledge the other's skill, I think we've even worked together a few times on joint-Garden missions. He's a SeeD, but he goes to Galbadia. So does Rinoa, and you, for that matter."

All too quickly, the pieces lined up from the fallout of Galbadia's defeat of Adel. Laguna came home; he was with Raine before she died in childbirth, and raised Squall and Ellone in Winhill; they were a family. Laguna, hailed as a hero after infiltrating Esthar, was still retired from the Galbadian military, and after SeeD was formed, he sent Ellone and Squall there for school. Fury must've led the attack on Esthar. If Laguna was hailed as a hero, surely Kiros and Ward were right beside him. If the three of _them_ were in Fury's company, as opposed to the Galbadian politicians of their time, like Deling, perhaps the famed general was a different man, too. It could easily mean he had a better relationship with Rinoa, so as opposed to defecting, she attended Garden per his instruction.

 _Did she meet Squall there?_

"Hey!" called Seifer. Ellone snapped out of her train of thought and quickly turned to her former pursuer.

"We've got company."

Unable to move too far from where they'd landed in this memory, the two quickly turned to where they heard footsteps coming from the bushes. There, Quistis emerged in a slick black thermal uniform; the vest that she'd worn back at Garden had been adorned with a plethora of ribbons and medals, and they were now sewn onto the lapel of _this_ uniform. As Ellone took in the visual of her friend—aged some ten years, but still not looking a day over eighteen—she realized the uniform she was wearing was an inverted form of the White SeeD uniform.

 _Another parallel that contradicts our timeline…_

 _First, Laguna comes home. Then, SeeD is founded by Galbadia instead of Matron._

 _Selphie never leaves Trabia, Seifer's a_ hero.

 _Squall, Rinoa, and I go to Galbadia Garden with Irvine...were we wiped out when Ultimecia and Griever attacked Galbadia?_

Some things had remained the same. Despite the distance, Irvine and Selphie still met, fell in love, and eventually married. Quistis was as disciplined and formidable a fighter as ever, perhaps even more so. Xu was the same, Zell still went to Balamb…

 _But, there's still so much missing. How did it all come to this?_

Quistis stepped out into the open and looked around her. She pulled out a small radio from her pocket and cued it up.

"Selphie?" she asked into the receiver. There was static for a moment, and then a chipper voice answered.

"Hey, just making sure all of our communication systems are off-network. Do you see anything out there?" Selphie responded. It was hard to tell through the radio's subpar transmission, but Selphie's voice carried a hint of worry. Understandably so, considering the circumstances.

"Not yet. We didn't spot them on our way over here, either. How much longer until your team is ready to depart?"

"Ummm, like fifteen more minutes. We're making sure that the ones who have to stay behind for the second trip are safe." Quistis' cool facade didn't break, but Seifer noticed she was growing anxious.

"They're running behind," he remarked.

"Huh? How do you know?" Ellone asked.

"She's holding the radio with the hand she'd normally hold over her chest. See how tight her grip is? I'm guessing this is when things are gonna go wrong," he replied.

"Don't say that! She might be nervous, but that doesn't mean Selphie's team running late is a bad omen or something!" Seifer lifted an eyebrow at the White SeeD Commander and cockily smirked.

"I think I know a _little_ more about Quistis' subtle mannerisms than you. How do you think I managed to get under her skin so much?"

"Doesn't look like it worked so well for you here!" Ellone retorted.

"I'd say it worked better."

Seifer had won the argument with that last quip. However, the knowledge that these alternate versions of themselves were ultimately doomed, gave him little reason to celebrate. The two watched as Quistis finally responded into the radio.

"Ok, just try to pick up the pace. We can't fall behind; the boat will be here any minute."

"Roger!" Selphie chirped back. The signal cut, and Quistis placed the radio back in her pocket. She circled the perimeter, looking right through Ellone and Seifer, until she suddenly rose a hand to her head.

"Ugh, fairies? Now?" she complained. Ellone and Seifer looked at each other confusedly, wondering if she'd been able to hear them somehow. When a bright yellow light shot across her line of vision, the White SeeD Commander fell back, and Ellone realized Quistis was reacting to _someone_ _else._

"We're not alone. Someone else was just sent here!" she warned Seifer in a panic.

"Is that what that yellow light is? Someone else entering these memories?" he asked calmly.

"You've seen it before?"

He shrugged and reached over to help her back up to her feet.

"Out of everything I've seen, it's been the least worrisome. But, I don't know what the hell is going on. So, what's that light mean?" he asked.

Somehow, someone else had been sent back to this memory as well. But, Ellone couldn't tell who it was, or where they even were. Their body hadn't manifested etherally like hers and Seifer's had. Considering Quistis hadn't noticed Ellone and Seifer when they were talking, it was safe to assume they weren't junctioned onto her; simply existentially present. Whoever had just joined them, however, was junctioned to someone. When Ellone tried to identify who it could be through the link, she was immediately blocked out by an incredible force.

"Whoa. Whoever was sent back here doesn't want anything to do with us," she said.

"Yeah, or someone's trying to show them this without any interference," replied Seifer.

The White SeeD Commander whirled back to the ex-Knight, disturbed by his response.

"Like who?" she asked, thinking he'd have an answer.

"The hell would I know? This is your bag, Commander."

Before she could press him further, a rustling came from the trees behind them, and they anxiously turned to see what it was.

"Did you hear that?" asked Ellone. Seifer didn't respond right away. Quistis drew out Save The Queen and readied herself to strike.

"It's him," said Seifer.

The brush continued to rattle as someone pressed through it, unfettered by the trees in their way. Quistis took a step back, and from the darkness emerged a bearded man with a wily mane of black hair. His eyes were gray, but sharp; not so much full of life, but purpose. His dark gray trenchcoat bore the markings Ellone now came to associate with Ultimecia, and it was clear that this was Griever, albeit far, far younger. He locked eyes with Quistis, prepared to say something, until he too had to take hold of his head.

"The fairies!" yelled Ellone.

"Guess whoever joined us is in _his_ head," added Seifer. Griever shook his head and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Though unkempt, his hair naturally weaved into his beard, and when he pushed it back, Ellone was able to see the resemblance between his younger self and as she knew him now. He pushed back his hair once more with his other hand, and Ellone saw the very ring he'd journeyed to give to Raine on his hand.

"Hey, isn't that Squall's ring?" asked Seifer. Ellone didn't respond. She couldn't if she wanted to. Silent, her words ripped from her after seeing the ring, she watched Ultimecia's Knight perform his duty.

"Headmistress, you've been hatching quite a scheme as of late, haven't you?" he asked monotone. Quistis pulled the ends of her whip tight, but the Knight showed no sign of worry.

"That treaty was supposed to keep you all in line. We were willing to let the rest of the SeeDs live if you accepted your new place in our world," he continued.

"Accept our new place? _Your_ world?! You make me sick! When your mistress is around you're silent, because anything you have to say is just a runoff of her rhetoric, isn't that right?!" she barked back.

"Her 'rhetoric' is my credos. If you think about it, I'm not unlike a subordinate of yours. Each one of them is able to recite the principles you swear and live by, but you, you're the leader. You're the one who orders that joke of a Commander to smoke out our kind and kill us. We should've guessed you'd do something like this eventually."

"Because you haven't been slowly polluting this land, making it impossible for the people you trapped here to survive? I wouldn't stand by and let you underhandedly kill us all off! To hell with your treaty, it was nothing more than a way for you to slowly poison the well!"

Griever crossed his arms over his chest, revealing that while he was still quite bulky, he hadn't become the goliath Ellone had known him as.

 _How long ago did he become this?_

 _...Who was he before?_

Ellone focused, hoping that somewhere in their war of words, Quistis would drop a hint as to who he used to be, or at least something pertaining to his past.

"How did you know?" the Knight asked. Quistis furrowed her brow, and the Knight let out a subtle chuckle.

"How did you know I was flying out towards here? The Trabians couldn't see me, and there're no more boats that sail to Centra. How did you know?"

Quistis swallowed nervously, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't give away Esthar had been monitoring the two of them from afar.

"Was it that?" Griever asked as he pointed up to the sky. Quistis hesitantly looked up to where he was pointing, and saw a red and orange splotch through the clouded sky.

"Oh no." That was where Esthar had positioned their last satellite to spy on him and Ultimecia. The collection of flaming debris floating in space all but assured Esthar was next.

"We destroyed it on the way here. No country has the technology for that except Esthar. It would seem that everyone except the residents of FH have reneged on their part of the agreement—"

"Oh, stop talking about it like it was our saving grace! You were the ones that broke it first!"

Expectedly, Quistis' verbal jousting revolved around the diplomatic aspect of this catastrophe. Griever shrugged, and lowered his arms by his side.

"Your last words differ greatly from your friends."

The tension between the two of them vanished. Gone was Quistis' preparedness to fight to the death, let alone drag out an argument she couldn't win. When she thought of Irvine and Zell dying by their hands—alone—she almost crumbled.

"It's a bit of a relief, actually," the Knight continued. "They chose the 'righteous' road, asking for forgiveness and trying to reach us. They were even foolish enough to bring up Squall and Rinoa, as though that would help their case."

There it was. The first mention of Squall and Rinoa confirmed that they were together in this world, too; another parallel that had carried over through the alterations to the timeline. It also confirmed that they had died first, and may've been the impetus for Griever and Ultimecia's reign of terror.

"That's the first time I've heard them mentioned," said Seifer from behind Ellone. She turned to further inquire, but the blond's gaze was fixated on Quistis' now vulnerable form.

"And, this is the first time I've seen Trepe like this…"

Seifer's showing of sentiment robbed Ellone of any ability to speak. Whatever love he'd witnessed between the two of them in this world resonated with him on some level. While Griever was possibly revealing key information that was imperative to figuring out the Knight's past—as well as all of their own—Seifer Almasy was showing _compassion._

No, this was more than that. Ellone had seen the twinkle in Seifer's eyes both Squall and Laguna shared when looking at Rinoa and Raine; the man was in love. It was a sight Ellone couldn't have imagined a year ago, but it was all of the confirmation she needed that he had indeed changed over the past year..

"...Why would I try to quell your temper?" Quistis choked out. Griever raised an eyebrow, curious to where she was going with her question.

"You killed my friends, and in your delusion, you think you're fighting for Squall and Rinoa?!"

The Knight quickly unsheathed his sword and aimed the blade at Quistis.

"We fight for _all_ of the fallen Sorceress' and their Knights! We'll avenge their deaths if it means wiping out every SeeD on the planet!" he shouted back.

 _They lived in this world…_

 _They were together in this world…_

 _...But, Rinoa was a Sorceress, and Squall was her Knight?_

 _How? Where do they fall into all of this?_

"Avenge their deaths?! _You_ killed them!"

The Knight swung his leg back, his trench coat blowing back behind him.

"...Take it back," he spoke quietly.

"I will not!" Quistis shouted back. She cracked her whip against the ground, and in an instant her proud form returned.

"I won't let their deaths be in vain, nor their story tainted by your vile agenda! If I die today, I'll die fighting for the truth!" she proclaimed. Golden beams of light shot up from under her feet, and a blue sphere encircled her, bolstering her defenses as well as increasing her speed. Right after that, a pale green light shot up from under her feet, and this time she was enveloped by the golden hue of Aura. Her Blue Magic now readily at her disposal, the Knight scoffed, and shoved his sword into the ground beneath them.

"Well, if we're going all out…"

Griever removed his jacket and threw it to the ground. Black markings like the ones on his jacket ran up the sides of his body, and his eyes changed color from their sharp gray to the vile gold that burned in Edea and Ultimecia's eyes. Garbed in just a sleeveless black undershirt, it took them off guard when he doubled over in seemingly excruciating pain. Suddenly, the back of his shirt tore open, he let out a blood curdling scream, and massive black wings sprung out from his shoulder blades. The wings flapped, blowing powerful winds from under them. As he slowly rose into the air, his arms and legs stretched out, making sharp, painful cracking noises. His ligaments now warped, his skin looked as though it was being stretched out over his bones. The hair on his arms and legs grew thick and interwove into a makeshift fur, and his already massive chest burst through what was left of his shirt. His broadsword shattered, and its crystalline fragments circled the beast before slowly melding into its body. His fingers and toes moved together to form claws, and the shards from his sword changed to a dark red as they transformed within his hands. Only his face remained unchanged at this point; a human head sitting upon a black griffon's body, Griever's expression was cold and blank.

Quistis looked back at the beast in an all too familiar horror, while Ellone tried to keep herself from fainting.

"I told you we shouldn't have come here," Seifer murmured. She wished she had listened. Before she'd dove into the light, she'd only wanted answers to an endless amount of questions the previous memory had given her. Now, with only a handful of them answered, she gazed upon terror in its true form. Believing it was an avatar for true pride and strength; Squall had tried to emulate it all his life, but alas, it was evil incarnate.

The Monster floated ominously in the air, Griever's human head still hanging lifelessly.

"Gaze upon the one meant to right the wrongs of man, of SeeD," the Monster spoke. It's voice was guttural, several pitches lower than even the deepest of voices. This thing was more than a monster, it was a demon.

"I see no such thing," Quistis, now finding the ability to speak, spat back. The Monster rose the Knight's head up. It's mouth opened, but unlike the scream he'd made earlier, the beast let out a terrifying roar. No sooner did the same black fur grow out from its face, turning the black markings along its sides white. The human head's black hair inverted as well, and from under it's platinum white mane, the human face contorted and stretched outward, bones cracking all the same as before. Prominent red spikes shot up from its head. What Ellone had once thought to be a headdress was revealed to be an actual part of it's body. The head now sat proportionately on its body, and its transformation was complete. Ellone now saw Griever as he really was, what the beast was always _meant_ to be.

 _This thing is with Irvine and Selphie right now…_

 _How can I trust a man who's harboring something like_ this?

Slowly, Griever leaned forward as it prepared to strike.

"Another martyr for a worthless cause…"

The Monster wasted no time, and swept down at the ground with its right claw. Quistis was quick to dodge it, and when its wing swung back to strike her, she ducked underneath it. From a crouched position, she sharply whipped Save The Queen at the Monster and hit it smack in the eye. Before the Monster could fully react, she cast Laser Eye and landed it in the same spot, burning a hole into its face. Stumbling back, the Monster cast Triple on itself, followed by three back-to-back Firagas cast in her direction. Quistis dodged the first two, and when the third one hit, she only felt the flames singe the side of her uniform thanks to Mighty Guard. When the Monster regained its composure, Quistis was angered to see his eye had already fully healed. Anyone, or anything else, for that matter, would've surely been blinded. It was soon becoming apparent that Griever could not be killed by typical means.

"If I can't wear you down, I'll cast you out!" she shouted. She held her hands out, and the trees behind the beast began to warp and bend around themselves. Unable to get away in time, the Monster dug its claws into the ground to keep from being pulled into the Degenerator Quistis had summoned behind it. She focused all of her energy to try and keep the portal open, hoping Griever would lose his grip and fall into it. If she wanted to have any energy to fight Ultimecia, she'd need to end this quickly, but the Monster was starting to pull itself forward and out of the portal's pull.

"I am not destined to fall into oblivion, SeeD!" it called back in a guttural howl. The pale green light appeared around it, and soon the ground began to shake violently. Quistis may've had added magic resistance thanks to Mighty Guard, but three Quakes was far out of her capacity to deal with. She ceased her focus on Degenerator, and quickly cast Float, a status buff her Mighty Guard had failed to include by chance. Thinking she was safe for just a moment, powerful winds whipped up from around her, hurdling her and several trees high into the air.

 _Tornado? It was just casting Quake? How did it switch spells while casting?_

The Monster took to the sky and grabbed hold of her by the leg.

"We are not bound by your humans' limited understanding of magic," it inadvertently answered her.

Quistis readied to whip the Monster once more, until an intense wave of heat washed over them from afar.

 _No…_

Fearing she already knew what had happened, she turned to see all of Trabia Garden razed; Trabia's last refuge was burning to the ground within a raging inferno.

"It would seem your friend was in a bigger rush to die than you are," Griever mocked.

 _Selphie…_

 _No...Selphie! Not you, too!_

Incensed, the Headmistress whipped Save The Queen forward, wrapping it around the Monster's neck like a noose. It let go of her, and she hung onto the handle, keeping herself airbound by holding onto the other end.

"If we can't _all_ live our lives in peace..." She swung forward, using the momentum and length of Save The Queen to get behind Griever. Quickly, she pulled herself up, simultaneously pulling the Monster down. In the brief second they were almost on top of each other, she pulled hard on her weapon, and jumped onto the Monster's back. Thrusting with all of her might, she drove both of her boot heels into the beast's lower back, causing it to scream out in agony and wildly flail about. Each move only caused Quistis' heels to dig in further, shifting within their respective wounds, and further draining the Monster of the will to fight.

"Then those who survive won't have _you_ to fear!"

From where they floated in the air, the two were encircled in a white ball of energy. It rapidly spun around them, whipping up strands of ether that followed them as they rose high into the sky. A black ring formed above them, where the energy then dispersed and covered the perimeter. The ring closed in on both of them, trapping them inside a sphere that forced insurmountable amounts of pressure onto them. The sphere then shot straight down into the ground, and as it dispersed on impact, the two of them were enveloped in its wake. Quistis felt the sheer power of Shockwave Pulsar tear through her. She wanted to close her eyes from the pain, but she needed to see Griever was suffering the same fate.

The demonic griffin writhed in agony and fell to its knees, letting out a scream resemblant of its human counterpart. She couldn't confirm if she had in fact defeated him, because it was then that the full effect of the spell resolved. Tearing through her insides, setting every part of her ablaze, Quistis sacrificed herself in hopes that Seifer would only have to fight Ultimecia. The world was no match for the two of them, she had learned. But, if she had succeeded in taking Griever down with her, there would be hope.

 _Seifer...now's your chance to be the hero…_

* * *

The light was snuffed out by the void, and Ellone's conscience floated effervescently as it had so often before.

"No! Quistis!"

A hand, or what she thought was one anyway, grabbed her shoulder and swung her around.

"Ellone! Stop shouting, it's over! It's all over!" yelled Seifer.

"But, Quistis sacrificed herself for nothing! Griever survived!"

"You think I don't know that?!" She felt the hand forcefully let go of her, and sensed

Seifer move away.

"I still don't know what the hell this is—if it's really the past or not—and I don't know why we're seeing it. I just know that none of us made it out alive from it."

Ellone fell back and bawled into her hands. She hadn't witnessed anyone she knew or loved die before. Even when Raine passed, she was kept outside of the delivery room while Squall was born. Past, present, alternate dimension, whatever, it didn't matter; she had seen one of her best friends die a horrible death. Then, there was the fact that Irvine, Zell, Squall, and Rinoa had apparently all died as well, and while she didn't see it, Selphie had perished just moments before Quistis sacrificed herself for…

 _For what...what the hell started this?_

Squall and Rinoa's death? What did the two of them have to do with all of this?

 _Why did they die in the first place?_

Griever said he fought in their name, as well as every other fallen Sorceress and Knight before them. He blamed SeeD for their deaths, but Quistis claimed it was _him and Ultimecia_ that killed them.

 _Who was telling the truth?_

 _Quistis, Irvine, Squall...even Rinoa and I; we were all a part of the SeeD Griever spoke of._

 _Was this all a culmination of our actions?_

 _Were we the monsters Griever said they were...were we like that thing he turned into?_

Griever's transformation into the Monster had stuck with her no less than witnessing her friend perish right in front of her. The only thing that made that more chilling than anything else she'd seen or learned, was that the same man who could become that creature was still alive.

Still alive...and walking amongst them as a friend.

"What I don't get is…"

Seifer's sudden blurt took Ellone out of her head.

"If this is the past—like you said, we can only witness people's memories here—then why is Ultimecia there? She was from the future, but here we are watching her send this guy out to kill us all. It doesn't add up! Where the hell did you guys _actually_ go when you initiated time compression?!"

 _Where did they_ actually _go?_

 _To the future...but not our future…_

 _Our lives were changed,_ that _future would never come to fruition…_

That _future..._ this _past...they're gone now, it's as if they never exis—_

Ellone gasped, causing Seifer to flinch back.

"What is it?!" he yelled.

"...It's him. Griever...everything he did to help us now binds us to this other timeline. The link we opened up to initiate time compression; he used it to travel back and give Raine the ring. He's lived in three different timelines...and in each one he played a pivotal role in its development. Now, he's here, and the past has followed him."

"Whoa, back up. What the hell are you babbling about, Ellone? You sound like you've lost your mind!"

The White SeeD Commander stood up slowly, and wiped her cheeks dry of any tears.

"Seifer, Griever is alive, and he's here."

"What?!"

A giant white streak tore through the darkness, and it wasted no time widening, letting in a blinding white light. Ellone shielded her eyes once more, but she sensed there wasn't a memory waiting on the other side. Their time here was over; _she_ had lost control over the link after reaching out to Squall. Whoever it was that had decided to keep her there, let alone show her what Seifer had been seeing, was done with them.

For now.

"Ellone! What do you mean he's here?!" Seifer shouted as noise filtered in through the tear.

"Seifer! Just be strong! This isn't over yet!"

The two of them were both flung out into the light, and Ellone woke up in her room gasping for air. The two White SeeDs standing by the door ran over to her, but she held up her hand to call them off.

"I'm...I'm fine. I just...I'm fine." She slowly turned and put her feet firmly on the floor. She was back, and let out a much needed sigh of relief, At least for now, she was safe.

"Commander, you were out for hours—much longer than you told us you would be," said one of her soldiers.

"I know, things got complicated…"

 _The mission, what happened in Dollet?_

"What's the status of Selphie and the others?"

"SeeD Selphie returned to the boat with SeeD Zell, who's now resting in the infirmary. Irvine and their client have yet to return."

Ellone shook her head and closed her eyes tightly before opening them wide. She slowly stood up, and looked over to the desk where she'd kept the charts she'd made up shortly after they'd picked up Griever.

"Get me something to write with!"

* * *

The battle was over, and Griever watched his younger self slowly rise from the ground after the brave woman had sacrificed herself in hopes of defeating him. That's all he could register as he looked in on his past through the link. He and Ultimecia had come to Trabia to destroy the Garden there, but once he encountered another person, their face was blurred and indistinguishable. He had watched himself fight a woman who was incredibly strong, but compared to his near-omnipotent power, she just couldn't take him down with her. The Knight looked at her lifeless body, her uniform in tatters, and her skin burned to the point where, even if he could see her face, he'd have no idea who she was.

His younger self walked over to where he'd thrown his trenchcoat earlier. After he put it on, he collected some of the orange crystal shards that littered the ground, and then found his reconstructed broadsword in the brush.

"These powers never cease to amaze me," he said to himself.

 _Don't be so pompous, damn it! This woman would've killed you were it not for these unholy augments!_

The young Knight shook his head again to wave away the fairies, then sheathed his sword. When he looked to his right, he saw his adversary's corpse laid out on the ground.

"That spell...I've never seen it before. Perhaps my queen could make sense of it." He walked over and took the woman in his arms. In the sky hung a smoked shroud from the blaze Ultimecia had set off just a few miles away. The young Griever started moving forward wearily, still worn out from the fight. But, his queen called out to him, and he had to respond.

As he was junctioned onto his younger self, Griever followed. Whereas his counterpart found strength in hearing her voice, the Knight had to fight to keep her voice out of his head.

" _Kome to me, my Knight…"_

"I'm coming, my love," the young Knight called out.

 _Was I_ so _blind?_

 _I was a puppet. You're a puppet, boy!_

 _Snap out of it! Fulfill your duty as her Knight and stop her before she kills any more people!_

Griever bit his tongue, as he had no more courage than the man he was junctioned onto had willpower. He couldn't recall this battle for the life of him, and from what he'd seen, he had just defeated a very powerful SeeD. Surely, this was something that he would've remembered, the fight had been nothing short of tremendous. But, all this talk of a treaty, the two of them invading countries after everyone had agreed not to fight; it appeared that the trials he and Ultimecia had faced were more complex than just fighting off those who persecuted them.

 _Then again, I'm not here of my own volition. That freak sent me here…_

The Mimic hadn't followed him into this memory, but it had opened the link with whatever spell it used against him. As he walked behind the young man carrying the woman he'd defeated, his train of thought was derailed at the sight of Trabia Garden. The towering inferno was as wide as it was tall, engulfing the massive construct and everyone who'd been inside. Griever recalled Ultimecia saying they'd root out whoever was left, indicating there weren't many people there. He could only hope that was the case, as this Garden was easily big enough to be home to hundreds of people.

Standing in front of the fire, a young Ultimecia looked upon her Knight with a look of relief. She stood tall as always, wearing her dark red and black dress. It'd never occurred to Griever how revealing it was; he could imagine his younger self hadn't minded. Her headdress held her hair up and out to the sides as though they were horns—they contrasted well with the markings alongside her face. She waved with hands that had changed to talon-like appendages, and walked to meet her husband halfway with clawed feet. She was both hideous, and beautiful to him. His resolve remained; he knew he'd done what was needed when he'd abandoned her. Still, seeing her again brought back all of the conflicting emotions he felt towards her when she possessed Rinoa.

 _I did the right thing. I did._

"My love, I defeated—"

Griever watched as his younger self's lips moved, but emitted no sound. Just for a second, the sound of the roaring fires, the harsh winds whistling as they blew past them, even the sound of his own breathing, was lost to the Knight. When his younger self finished saying this person's name, his sense of hearing returned, and he watched Ultimecia move another body through the air to place beside the woman's. Her face was blurred out, too. He didn't know who he was looking at, but she'd died only moments before the other woman. There was a deep laceration across her neck; she'd bled to death after Ultimecia, in one way or another, had slit her throat.

"I saw the explosion; she kast a powerful spell on you. Are you alright?" the Sorceress asked.

Her voice was no different from that of any other woman, but Griever had forgotten about the way she pronounced her c's as hard k's. Watching from the outside, a small part of him remembered that, at one time, he'd found it endearing.

"I'm ok. I do have some questions, though," the young Knight replied.

"Of kourse. What is it, my love?"

The young knight ran his hand across his fallen opponent's stomach, and then looked up confusingly.

"There are two people here. I first sensed it when I picked her up, but I wasn't sure what to make of it. What is this?"

There was no mistaking the look of pity that came over Ultimecia's face as she leaned down to lift her Knight's hand off of the woman's stomach. Griever couldn't tell who she was pitying, though—the woman for having fought and died while pregnant, or the simpleton her Knight had become.

 _I don't remember being so...detached._

"Foolish human, running to her death while she karried another life inside her." She looked up and locked eyes with the younger Griever.

"It's nothing to koncern yourself with, Griever. Do not worry about it."

 _Was she trying to stop me from thinking freely?_

 _I seem so fragile when around her...maybe she was catering to my faults..._

 _I know I changed, but when...how did I become like this?_

"What about the spell she used on me? That last one...for a minute I thought I was a goner," he asked.

"It is a form of magik you're not well-versed in. Perhaps we kan try to hone your abilities once we finish here, and you kan use the spell yourself."

Griever grew more and more uncomfortable as he watched Ultimecia practically baby his younger self. But, he couldn't tell if she was doing it to keep him in a certain state of mind, or because it was all he would respond to. While she had become a Sorceress, Griever's powers were gifted unto him. If he didn't know any better, he'd traded away more than his humanity for his newfound powers; he'd forfeited his entire identity. Everything that had defined the man he had once been, other than his swordsmanship, was gone.

 _This could all be a trick. The Mimic sent me here, this could all be an illusion._

Part of him hoped it wasn't though. Despite their actions here, Griever had a chance to see his wife before she went truly insane. He was the reason her powers were able to consume her, and a part of him still bore guilt over it.

 _...I wish I could've saved you...saved us…_

 _I imagine we were so happy; to have gone this far just to be together…_

Slowly, the memory in which he inhabited began to fall away from him. The heat of the flames from Trabia's burning facade in front of him, the cold winds blowing harshly behind him, the view of his wife as she was so, so long ago—it was all fading away.

 _I wish I still had the memories of our lives before this…_

 _Hyne, I want to see you again, Ultimecia. Not who you became, but who you were…_

 _...What was your name?_

* * *

Griever's face lie on the concrete-paved walkway leading to the communication tower. He felt the sensation of someone shoving him over and over, calling for him to wake up.

"Griever! Come on, man! You gotta stay with me!"

As though he were crankily waking up from a deep sleep, the Knight grunted and slowly pushed himself up from the ground and looked to his side. Irvine had been crouched beside him for an extended period of time, trying to wake him, and appeared genuinely worried.

"Holy crap! You made it! I almost thought you were done for! What happened, man?!" the sharpshooter exclaimed. Griever shook his head, trying to collect himself after having returned to the real world.

"The Mimic...that spell it used, it sent me somewhere to the past."

"Like how Ellone does it?" Irvine asked anxiously. The Knight nodded, and slowly rose to his feet.

"What did you see, Griever? You said you can't remember your past, right? What did it show you?"

As Griever went to answer, a sharp pain rang through his head. He grabbed it, and before he could even verbalize what he was feeling, the memory was gone. Traces of it quickly fluttered across his mind and then disappeared just as fast.

 _No, but I saw myself fight…_

His mind forcibly stopped him from speaking.

 _...I saw…_

The woman he'd killed vanished from his mind.

 _...My wife…_

The returned feelings of affection, possibly remnants of his love for Ultimecia, disappeared.

 _...I saw the Sorceress...I saw my former queen._

Irvine watched as Griever winced over and over again while holding his head up. It was as though something was interfering with him relaying what he saw, purposefully blocking his memory.

"Hey, hey! Stay with me, big guy! Don't go keelin' over again on me!" he yelled to his client. Griever tried once more to recall what he'd seen, but as far as he was concerned now, he had just been knocked unconscious by the Mimic's spell.

"You there? Hello?"

"I'm...I'm here…" the Knight replied finally. Irvine let out a sigh of relief, and then patted the man on his shoulder.

"So, the Mimic can utilize the link too, huh?" he asked. Griever nodded, and Irvine shook his head, discouraged.

"Great, like we didn't have enough problems already. I must've shot that thing seven times. At least the bullets hit _you_ , that thing was completely unaffected other than by the first one."

"You had the element of surprise on your side that time," the Knight replied. Worn as he was from whatever he'd just experienced, his mind was still razor sharp when it came to battle.

"So, the thing that can interpret other people's actions as they're happening can't—what, see out of its peripherals?"

"It just wasn't ready. Once it got its bearings, only I could've stopped it. Had it not been for that damn spell—"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, man. You saved Zell, so we won that one at least, right?"

"Zell's safe?" Griever asked worriedly.

"Safer than he was, that's for sure. Selphie got him down to the ship after you pulled him out of the fight. They're waitin' for us; you ok to get moving?"

"I'm…"

For just a moment, he saw a glimmer of him holding hands with his loving wife once more. They were crouched on the ground, kneeling over two SeeDs they'd defeated in battle. Between them was a solidarity, a bond that superseded the inhumanity of their actions. A commitment that squelched the thousands of voices that begged for mercy in every battle they'd fought in. In that moment, Griever found a solace he had long forgotten about, and had simultaneously yearned to have again.

He saw this, for just a moment, and then it was gone. From his mind, his heart, from time. As far as he was concerned, he had never experienced—first hand or otherwise—any of it.

 _I'm...alone…_

Irvine looked at his client as he once again struggled to find the right thing to say. His mouth hung open slightly to speak words that he didn't know, to tell Irvine about something he had no memory of.

"I'm ok. Let's go," he said suddenly. Griever stood up straight and then strode past his bodyguard as though he were completely fine. If Irvine hadn't witnessed everything this man had endured, he'd believe he were completely fine, too. Not wanting to evoke what looked like absolute hell for him again, Irvine called out to his client once more.

"Wait a second!"

The Knight turned as the sharpshooter ran to catch up to him.

"You promised me an answer once we found that thing, remember?"

That was something he _did_ actually remember.

"I suppose you should ask a question, then," Griever replied.

Irvine smirked, amused by the Knight's dry response.

"Who...I mean, what is that thing?"

Griever reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his copy of the contract. He flipped through the pages until he found the missing persons report that had been filed almost twenty years ago in another time. When he handed it to Irvine, he pointed to the plaintiff's name, and Irvine was rendered speechless.

"GoGo was the alias the Mimic chose when looking for me; taken from the name of a Mimic from ancient lore."

"So, it _was_ an alias. What's its real name then?"

Griever took a deep breath before speaking the true name of their newfound enemy.

"The tenth servant of Ultimecia. A Mimic by design, a Lunatic by nature: It's name is Hesiod."

* * *

Soooo...that happened...

Since Griever kept talking about his past, but can't remember much of it, I thought it'd be good to flesh out parts of it in chapter eight, as well as here. The man who claims to have the answers to our heroes troubles has little to no memory over what _really_ led to his. We'll find out more as the story progresses, and both our heroes' future, as well as their alternate past will become clear. And, now you all know the name of the creature who's trying to throw a wrench in the works, for reasons yet to be revealed =)

Thanks to _YaddaWaddaBadda_ and _SilentStarlightSky_ for your reviews on chapter ten, and thanks to _borntup_ , _fakeengineer,_ and _Prodigal Priest_ for following (and _fakeengineer_ for also favoriting,) this story after the last update.

I recently moved and got a new job, so things have been a little hectic as of late, but I assure the next update will come sooner rather than later, and will give us a break from these hard left turns. A break from them doesn't mean they're over, though, and I promise they **are** leading somewhere. I'm not pulling a Damon Lindelof and just throwing in plot twists and turns for the hell of it, I promise lol.

Also, what better way to bring Seifer into the fold than with something like **_this_.**

See you all soon, hope you enjoy this update!


	12. He Said, She Said, It Said

**Chapter 11: He Said, She Said, It Said...**

* * *

"Squall! Squall, are you back?! Are you okay?!"

 _That voice…_

Squall opened his eyes, but still saw only darkness.

 _Lift up your head._

He craned his neck to try and look out in front of him. A sharp pain rang throughout his whole body, and he groaned as his head flopped back onto the ground.

"Squall! You're awake!" He felt a small hand gently apply pressure to the large gash in his left side. He was exhausted; the walk back from Balamb and whatever he'd experienced through Ellone's power had left him laying face down with an open wound. His fatigue was coupled with the train of thought that kept asking the same questions.

 _Griever's a real person?_

 _Why was he with my parents?_

 _Why did he give me his ring?_

That question seemed to answer itself.

 _...He chose me..._

A cooling sensation spread throughout his side, numbing the pain, and slowly, his strength returned. He sighed in relief as the healing magic took its course, and now he'd made the connection between the voice he'd been hearing, and who it was that was by his side and taking care of him.

He craned his head up again, experiencing much less pain than before. There was his brown-eyed beauty, smiling back at him in an attempt to hide her worry.

"Rin…how did you know?" he asked. She put her finger on his lips and shushed him.

"Just take a minute, Squall. Let me finish taking care of you," she insisted. He extended his right arm and rested his head on it, taking in the sight of her ever-so-carefully utilizing her powers to not only stop the pain, but to clean and seal the wound as well. He'd be more than fine after she finished; he'd be good as new. He let out a gentle sigh and rested his eyes on her.

"I know I was excited when you woke up, but if you need to close your eyes, I understand," she said to him.

"I'm fine like this," he replied.

"You are?" she asked.

He had to choose his words carefully for this. If he said too much, she'd never let him live it down. It'd be weeks and weeks of:

 _"Remember when you started gushing about how great it was to see me? Yes, you do! Come on, tell everybody!"_

Or if he were to contract a cold, it'd be:

 _"Okay, just lay on your side and…no, you need to stretch out your arm and lay your head down on it; just like that time I found you outside Balamb! I'm gonna feed you some chocobowl soup, but your head has to be just like it was that day. Why? Hey, don't ruin this for me, Squall! I'm taking care of you remember? Now, assume the position and open wide; here comes the soupy train!"_

She would definitely use those words too, particularly the bit about 'the train.' One time she wouldn't let him put the new relish the cafeteria had gotten on his hot dog. He _had_ to take a bite of hers and judge it from that. She made sure to announce the "wiener train was pulling into the station," making the delicious taste of the relish synonymous with her cringe-worthy choice of words. The fact that the whole room had heard her made it harder to live down. No cadet had called hot dogs 'wieners' since then, at least not when their Commander was within earshot.

"Yeah. I might stay like this for a little, even after you're done," he replied.

"But, how you will know if you're fully healed? You'll need to do your stretches, practice with your gunblade; Squall, you need to be more responsible to keep yourself in top form," she teased back.

Squall let out a muffled chuckle. He didn't want to let on that he found her musings about his sense of duty and dedication to SeeD actually quite funny—adorable, even.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I can take in the view another time," he replied.

"The view, huh?" she replied mockingly. His attempts at flirting often fell short, but they managed to emit an awkward charm, one only Squall could squeeze out of words so drab.

"I mean...your being here, taking care of me. It's nice…"

She looked down at him, expecting more. When he grew flustered and tongue-tied, he cleared his throat and quickly looked away.

"Or…whatever…"

"Hey! No, not 'whatever'! That was really good…for you," she laughed. He looked back at her, then quickly away again.

"Aw, the lion's blushing! Did I embarrass the lion? Does he need his belly rubbed to feel better?"

She went to rub her hands gently on his stomach, but Squall had something else in mind. He softly took hold of both of them, and Rinoa found herself at a loss for words as her eyes met his.

"I'm not embarrassed," he said with a full smile on his face now. He leaned forward, slowly, as his body still ached a little, and kissed her. Jokes and teasing aside, he'd thought of almost nothing but this since the moment he left Balamb. Feeling her touch healed him in way more important–to him—than her magic ever could.

"So, you're feeling better, then?" Rinoa asked her Knight.

"Much better, thank you. It's like I was never hurt." He went in to kiss her again, but he moved too quickly and pain shot through his torso, causing him to jerk back and put his hand over his side.

"Hey! I thought you were all better!" Rinoa exclaimed.

"I said _much_ better. It's still going to hurt for a while, Rin. Don't worry, I'm not bleeding out, right?"

She shook her head and sighed.

"You're right. And of course, your point is proven most effectively when you use terms like 'bleeding out'. Lovely!" she sassed.

"Combat is—"

"I know, I know! Shhh, shhh." She leaned in this time and kissed him, partly to keep him from rambling on about the proper vernacular to be used when discussing combat and combat-related issues, but more so because she wanted her damn kiss.

She pulled away and looked over her shoulder toward Balamb. Aside from sensing that he'd been in trouble through their bond, she'd—in tandem with her developing powers—sensed powerful magic coming from the area.

"Did you get injured from…whatever caused that?" she asked, pointing at the smoke that had now begun to dissipate in the wind.

Squall nodded.

"Something tried to attack…or, maybe it was just trying to impersonate Faust. Zell and I chased it down to the docks and...I hate to say it, but it made quick work of us."

"What? There's a monster that beat _the two of you_?"

Squall nodded, this time somewhat ashamed.

"It's not a monster, or, at least not a typical one. It's a Mimic, like the ones we read about as kids in fairy tales. Every move we made, it was able to replicate and use against us. Even weirder was its ability to change parts of its body to better fight us; at one point, its arm changed into a gunblade, and it performed Rough Divide on me just as I was charging to use it myself."

Rinoa looked at him as though she was familiar with what he was talking about.

"You don't look as confused as I thought you would. I was there and I still don't understand what—"

"Did you say it tried to impersonate Faust?" she interrupted.

Squall nodded.

"It leapt out of his bedroom window in a hospital gown before its disguise started to come undone. It was in a rush to escape, but I can't imagine why. I don't think it had anything to fear from us."

Rinoa looked away for a minute, troubled by what she'd heard, but putting something together in her head.

"Again, your reaction is a bit underwhelming, considering the gravity of our potential situation."

"Why were you headed back to Garden?" she asked abruptly.

Squall could see she was going somewhere with this, and told her everything he could.

"It destroyed the harbor with a double Quake spell; powerful ones at that. After I came to, I headed back to get more SeeDs to help with securing the area while Zell and Faust kept helping with the rescue and recovery efforts." There was more to his leaving than that, but he wasn't sure if he should say it.

"You're holding back," she accused.

 _What gave it away? Damn, she's really getting good at figuring me out._

"Communication had been cut off from the Garden, so we couldn't just call in for help. When we couldn't get in touch with Quistis on her cell phone, I began to worry something might've happened and…well, I had to know that you were alright."

What could've been a touching moment was brushed aside as Rinoa had pieced everything together in her head.

"Squall, something _did_ happen at the Garden. I was napping while you guys were out, and when I woke up, there was all of this commotion outside. I could hear students through the door saying that 'the Commander chased Quistis out of his room' and 'the Sorceress made the Commander attack Instructor Trepe!' Some of them were saying you even tried to kill her! That thing that was impersonating Faust must've been at the Garden, too! It even stole some of your clothes; it was deliberately trying to trick people into thinking you had done this!"

Squall sat up quickly upon hearing that, ignoring the pain in his side.

 _It attacked Quistis? Why?_

 _Wait, what the hell was Quistis doing in our room to begin with?_

"Were you talking to Quistis?" he asked.

"No! That's the weirdest part! I just woke up and heard all of this commotion out in the halls. I don't even know why Quistis was there! I had to sneak out through the back window; I don't know what they would've done to me if I had stepped outside and tried to resolve it myself."

Squall shot up to his feet. Rinoa rose with him, looking him over to make sure he wasn't hiding any kind of pain.

"Come on, we need to head back to Garden and sort this out. Do you know if Quistis is okay?" he asked.

"I didn't hear anyone say that you _actually_ killed her, so I'm pretty sure that she's alive, but apparently this thing roughed her up while looking like you."

Squall's blood began to boil at the idea of someone—or something—impersonating him. In his own home, no less, where all of the people who mattered most to him—not to mention all of those who looked up to and revered him—could've had even worse consequences than the ones Rinoa was telling him about. He'd been used, and hated that he'd lost fighting this thing just after it had done all but completely sully his name in the most important place in the world to him.

A thought occurred to him and he turned to Rinoa to quickly examine her.

"Squall?" she asked.

"Hold on," he replied. He placed his hands on her cheeks, running his fingers over her high cheekbones and then through her hair. He looked her up and down, and determined that it was actually her.

"Just making sure I was kissing you, and not a cheap imitation." Rinoa half smiled back. When Squall mixed his duties as a SeeD with his devotion to her it showed his best qualities on display all at once, but the militaristic approach he had to it took the magic out of the moment, she felt.

 _I guess it's the thought that counts._

Squall took her hand and turned back toward the Garden.

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

In a dream-like state, Quistis lie still in the infirmary. Bruises marred her fair complexion; the force with which her assailant assaulted her was unlike any she'd faced before. If she hadn't been so shaken from her conversation with Rinoa, she would've been able to fight the mysterious man off. His form was bumbling and uneven; he wasn't there to kill her. In fact, he'd fled so quickly after entering her room, she thought he'd vanished altogether after he landed his last punch.

 _Squall_ …

She was unconscious as far as everyone was concerned, but Quistis had been able to hear the hysteria and wild rumors flying around as she was rushed to the infirmary. The students had just seen their fearless Commander barge out of his and the Sorceress' room and break into Quistis'. Some spoke of how he was nowhere to be seen after he'd closed the Head Instructor's door behind him, but others countered that he'd been teleported away by the one who sent him.

 _Rinoa_ …

Everyone knew Rinoa was slowly losing her grip on her powers, and the decision to take action seemed to have come about over a well-cooked dinner; friends deciding to unify and stand by one another. There was no precedent for how the sweet girl from Timber had acted, let alone any of what she'd said to Quistis.

 _The throne in the cave…_

 _The children…_

 _…She was a monster._

For everything Quistis thought to expect from Rinoa during this time, harboring thoughts so horrible—so sinister—hadn't crossed her mind for even a second. The six of them had stared into the eyes of hatred incarnate—Ultimecia, Adel, even Edea for a time—had probably acted like the woman Rinoa spoke of in those visions.

 _But, not her…Rinoa would never—_

 _…No…Rinoa would never do anything like that…_

The discolored strands in the angel-winged girl's hair still troubled the Blue Mage, even after everything that had happened. Someone as fashion conscious as Rinoa could make a mistake when restoring their caramel highlights, right? No, it had to be indicative of something more. It _had_ to be—not just because Quistis was grabbing at straws to reconcile any part of what she'd been through. Rinoa's discolored highlights and uncharacteristic behavior just didn't make any sense. It wasn't until Squall barged into her room and threw three uneven, but still devastating sucker punches that Quistis found a silver lining that seemed to grow brighter with every processed thought.

 _His scar…it was missing._

The man who attacked her came running out of Squall and Rinoa's room according to the students. He barged in and closed the door behind him too quickly for anyone to get a look inside. What would they have seen had they caught a peek into the Commander's room? Squall was adamant about his privacy, now so more than ever, but even his appearance—aside from the scar—was off. No jacket? No belts? _Blue_ jeans?

 _And Zell had gone to Balamb with him earlier, too._

 _What…what's happening?!_

Though she still didn't fully know what to make of her friend's odd appearance and behaviors, a faint white light appeared before her. Was she no longer in the infirmary? Had she been somewhere else? For how long?

 _That light, I've seen it before…_

 _My body is still in the infirmary, but right now my mind—no, my conscience—this is the link!_

It had been just a little over a year since Quistis had reentered the link. Though Ellone's junctioning of them onto heroes of the past was never expected, their conscious' journey through time was never painful. Now, the Blue Mage found herself floating aimlessly in a snow-covered field. Her presence here was unstable. Any minute she could be ripped from this place in time and brought to somewhere else. The abandon with which she was projected into the past spoke volumes of the one who'd sent her there, the one who'd impersonated her friends and caused an uproar in the Garden at a time when everyone was most on edge, and even worse, vulnerable.

 _Who was he?_

Just then, she heard a rustling in the bushes. Speechless, she watched an older version of herself emerge in an all-black tactical get-up. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was an inverted White SeeD uniform.

 _Wait, is this the past? Or…the future?_

The snowy plain where she floated shattered as though it were a stained glass painting. Before she could process what had happened, it quickly pieced itself back together. It was just minutes later; her older self now faced off against a man with a mangy mane of hair interwoven with a shaggy beard. He hadn't been growing it for long, but even in its apparent infancy, it was as much a part of him as any other body part. It was all he had to define him; his smoked grey eyes resembled ashes, remnants of a vibrant soul that had perished in flames that consumed it. His skin was gaunt and sickly looking, yet his gate hardly resembled a withered soul.

Her presence contingent on what she could assume was faulty magic, Quistis heard the exchange between the warrior and her older self cut in and out. She couldn't piece much together—they were in Trabia, there was some kind of treaty that had been established, and there was a Sorceress. Who the Sorceress was, she didn't know, but then she heard her older self scream out her friends—no, her _fallen_ friends'—names in rage. Squall and Rinoa were dead in this time, whenever it was, and apparently their deaths bothered the warrior as well, but for different reasons.

 _What…when is this?_

 _This can't be the past…but the link can't go to the future. We were only able to do that through time compression._

 _Is this…is this something that's to come?_

 _No…it can't be. Why would I see a premoni—_

Once again the world around her shattered, then quickly reformed. Though unaffected, she could sense the powerful magic emitted from Degenerator nearby. Her older self had all of her energy focused into the spell—she was trying to send someone through the black hole and into nothingness. When she turned, she expected to see the soulless warrior grabbing at the ground to keep from falling away.

 _No…it can't be!_

The legendary GF—one whom their leader had thought to only exist in legend, and was brought to life by Ultimecia in their final battle, clawed frantically at the ground, pulling itself out from the black hole's grasp. It's furious roars at the older Blue Mage sounded nothing like the GF they'd fought at Ultimecia's castle—this beast was _far stronger_. The Monster could not be contained by even this powerful of a spell, and Quistis' older self ceased casting it and quickly jumped back to avoid the Monster's attack.

 _Griever…_

 _How is this…you're not real. You're an idea, a figment of Squall's imagination…_

 _…Aren't you?_

The world shattered apart, and then reformed, as she'd come to expect it to. The snowfield was now laden with ash and debris from, as far as she could tell, the aftermath of someone's casting Shockwave Pulsar. Aside from her, the only being she'd ever seen use the spell was the GF they fought in the future. She'd always likened it to Squall possibly thinking that this GF—his GF—would not be limited to just black and white magic. But when she saw her own lifeless body strewn on the ground, charred to the point where she was almost unrecognizable, she knew it'd been her who'd cast the spell. And when she heard footsteps from behind her, she knew the Monster had survived.

She turned, and the warrior she'd seen before approached the woman who'd sacrificed herself in vain. Were he and Griever one and the same?

 _Impossible…but, where did he—_

Before she could further ponder as to how this man and the legendary GF could be linked, a quick glimpse of the man's left hand answered her question. They were indeed one and the same, and the ring was the symbol of their unity, an avatar of power that bore the face of a horror cosmic.

 _Horror to some…but to Squall it's…_

The embodiment of great pride and strength; it was the emblem which he'd held so dear and only shared with the one person he chose to let in to his life. So, why did this man have it, then?

The world shattered again, and Quistis found herself on solid ground. In a vast white space, she watched her own movements carefully. She was moving freely as ever, but the rate at which her body appeared to follow suite was far slower. Only once had she witnessed her body move in such a fashion—time compression. Instinctively, she did as she instructed her friends to over a year ago: look for an entry to their own time, and don't fall into a time warp. When she'd been in this state last, she wandered through time with Zell, Selphie, and Irvine in toe, until they sensed they were home. Sure enough, when the feeling resonated within everyone, they appeared at Garden, and waited on baited breath for Squall and Rinoa to return as well.

This time, however, what qualified as Quistis' home appeared to be up to interpretation. Before her were three windows into other worlds, or other times, rather. One showed her still body lying in the infirmary back at Garden. There, a world of absolutes waited—comparably speaking. Rinoa and Squall were absolutely not at Garden when Quistis saw them. An imposter, someone capable of changing their appearance, had attempted to drive a wedge between her and the couple. They must've known about Rinoa's powers, and had far more planned than just this attacked focused on the Head Instructor.

 _I need to get back, I need to warn the others!_

The Blue Mage, however, couldn't help but look at the other two options before her. In the second window, she saw Laguna and Raine in Winhill, at the pub in particular. The two were engaged in what she assumed was their usual discourse; Raine wore a scowl and attempted to reprimand her clumsy partner, and he, in a series of wide armed gestures, head scratching, as well as grabbing at his leg, tried to get out of whatever trouble he was in. He did it all with a sincere smile, apologizing and making promises that he'd try not to screw up again. He would, and she knew it, and so Raine would let him off the hook, making sure to keep him to his word.

 _Was Ellone still with them during this time?_

 _Wait, why am I seeing Raine and Laguna, of all people?_

The couple entered the kitchen, and then Raine came back out shortly after, appearing to speak to someone who was outside the window's window into the past. Whomever she was speaking to took a step forward, and Quistis gasped at the sight of the stranger's grizzly mane with his now grand beard.

 _What?! He was…how?!_

 _This is the past! When I saw him before, he was younger, and I was older._

 _…Wasn't that the future?_

Her attention turned toward the last window in time presented to her. It showed the battle that she'd just witnessed, a world that, from what little she'd seen, was hopeless, and beyond saving. That man—no, that _Monster_ would go on to destroy it, and if the mention of a Sorceress was any indication, the beast was probably acting on her order. If she were to go back to that world in an attempt to answer all of the questions she had from the snippet of time she'd lived through, would all of the trouble be worth it? Cid's warning to Irvine before leaving for Centra rang aloud in her—there are some questions that, when you find an answer, you'll wish you'd never asked.

Lost as to where she should go, Quistis felt someone tug on her hand. There was no one physically next to her, but in the infirmary she saw Edea at her side. She was needed somewhere else—another time, another place—the man, the Monster…Griever; he could wait. Now, at the this moment, the person Quistis needed to give her full attention to was perhaps the only woman she could count on for support. Again, more cautionary words ran through her mind, these coming from Irvine. Edea and Cid's secrecy didn't sit well with anyone in the group, but either she went home, or she delved into something completely outside of her grasp. She'd already seen what fate held for her in another time; if that wasn't a sign she wasn't prepared to deal with whatever Griever's role was in all of this, she didn't know what was. She didn't know…but Edea might.

Her heart chose her path before her body could, and Quistis slowly opened her eyes on a cot in the infirmary. To her left was Edea; her Matron. The look in her eyes told Quistis she knew one of her children hadn't just been unconscious this whole time.

"So, what did you see?" the former Sorceress asked gently. Her head still in a fog, Quistis said the first thing that came to mind; the thing that might help their problems in this time.

"…Imposter…my attacker…Rinoa, Squall…it wasn't them."

"What?!"

Before Edea could further inquire, Headmaster Cid entered the room.

"We've finished combing through the security tapes from this morning. Squall left early in the morning for Balamb with Zell. It wasn't him. As for Rinoa…"

"Not her…either." Cid turned to face his Head Instructor skeptically.

"You're sure? We have no hard evidence to exempt her from any of this like we do Squall—"

"The man who impersonated Squall…he impersonated Rinoa, too. We were…we were set up. He wanted this…this confusion."

Quistis shook her head, clearing her mind of any remaining cloudiness, and slowly sat up.

"Take it slow, dear," warned Edea.

"I'm ok, Matron, really." The Head Instructor turned to the opposite side of the bed and placed her feet on the ground.

"What's been happening with the students?" she asked the Headmaster.

"Garden is on lockdown until further notice. Xu and Nida have neither confirmed nor denied any of the rumors that started flying around when Squall—er, 'Squall', attacked you. The security cameras were all disabled right after he broke into your room. Squall and Rinoa's room was empty, but it had been trashed. Whoever, or whatever, for that matter, caused all of this, doesn't seem to care much about it's surroundings," Cid explained.

 _Rinoa's gone…did the imposter kidnap her?_

"Headmaster!"

Quistis' thoughts were interrupted as Nida ran into the room looking rather panicked. He smiled at the Head Instructor when he saw she was ok, albeit for the bruises on her face, and then returned his attention to Cid.

"What is it, Nida?" he asked sternly, unhappy with the interruption.

"Sir, it's Squall and Rinoa. They're at the front gate!"

* * *

Four young female SeeDs stood at attention at the front gate of Garden, and watched as the Commander and the Sorceress came up the path. The four of them were on a list of select SeeDs to be called into duty in case of an emergency. The four of them always traveled around together, and they'd acquired the nickname of "The Arch SeeDs" by those who envied their skills. Though Squall hadn't trained any of them personally, he remembered when Zell and Quistis had recommended them for promotion to A rank. If there was anything to take away from this, their presence was a sign that despite everything that had happened, Garden was still functioning.

"At ease, SeeDs," Squall commanded, gesturing for them to relax. The four of them continued to stand at attention.

"I said, at ease," he repeated. They looked to one another to confirm what the other was thinking, then all drew their weapons. Squall's gunblade was out in seconds, but he stood defensively, not willing to draw first blood on his own students.

"Squall Leonhart, we have strict orders not to allow you back into the Garden," said the martial artist of the group. Ruby Cante was to Zell what Faust was to Squall; she was his star pupil. Despite having long flowing brown hair, she always wore it up in a tight bun. Along with the claws on her hands, she had honed her fighting style and appearance to resemble a monk from the feudal empires. More often than not, she utilized Fire magic as a way to fend off enemies from afar before rushing in to attack. She was as diverse a fighter as one could hope for in a SeeD, making the idea of Squall having to fend her off all the more unnerving.

"I am your _Commander_ , SeeD Ruby. You will address me as such," Squall retorted sternly. The young SeeD shook her head.

"Your position has been suspended on authority of Headmaster Cid. Your attack on Instructor Trepe has been recognized as treason within the Garden, and we have orders to keep you out by any means necessary, including force."

Squall grimaced at her robotic delivery. It was spot on, and under normal circumstances, would earn her a nod of approval from their stoic leader. He knew she was following orders, but they were based on dubious claims and false information. A SeeD carrying out their instructions to a tee on bad intel was worse than a SeeD failing to carry out a mission at all.

"Ruby, stand down. I did _not_ attack Instructor Trepe. I've been in Balamb since early this morning with Instructor Dincht, who, in case you haven't noticed, isn't here either," Squall stated.

The four SeeDs looked at each other again, looking for confirmation whether they should proceed with their next move.

"Sir, we _saw_ you run after Instructor Trepe before you attacked her," said another of the SeeDs, this one holding a Gilt Measure for enhancing her magic. Barbara Recchia was one of Quistis' students. A mage skilled in lightning and wind magic, she'd made the unorthodox choice of using a weapon that was relatively ineffective in melee combat. Even Quistis, who had Blue Magic at her disposal, had Save The Queen by her side, but her student had stuck to her decision. Tall, blonde, disciplined; Quistis was never one to brag, but Squall had heard about Barbara's prowess on multiple occasions.

"We are not to let you back in until Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt return from their mission with the White SeeD ship."

 _The White SeeDs? How'd they get involved in this? And where were Irvine and Selphie sent to without my knowledge?_

"We're also under strict orders not to let the Sorceress leave Garden," added another, now staring at Rinoa. Scarlet Miglione was another student proficient in magic, particularly Earth elemental spells and status magic. While the weakest among her comrades, she was still revered by the student body. What had brought her to the staff's attention was how she'd appeared to be growing quite ill, yet still attended all of her classes. Pale as a ghost, her throat was coated with phlegm and her coughing fits grew worse by the day. Still, she stood with the others with a Bronzed Mace, her bloodshot eyes honed in on Rinoa.

Squall turned his attention away from his students as he saw Rinoa move out of his peripheral and grab onto the back of his jacket.

"Squall, I broke out. What if they—"

"Just stay close to me," he whispered back to her. She nodded and held on tightly, just like that night in Galbadia when he and Irvine had saved her from the Iguions that attacked her. He turned his attention back to the SeeDs, who were now all glaring at Rinoa.

"First off, don't call her 'the Sorceress.' Her name is Rinoa Heartilly; you all know that. Referring to her as 'the Sorceress' alienates her as our ally and friend. She is not the one we train you to fight."

"And yet, here we are," said the last of them. Neira Cagnassis was the only student Squall didn't immediately recognize. She was quite adept with a spear—a Trident, in particular—and had focused her magic talents in the areas of Ice and Water spells. She was just as much of a threat as Ruby was, but was more soft spoken than her fiery peer—aside from now, of course.

Squall had to grit his teeth to keep from losing his temper. They had orders from the one person in Garden who had authority over the Commander to keep him out and keep Rinoa in. They had their weapons drawn, but were holding back from any kind of attack. With that gesture, they'd drawn a line in the sand and had ordered Squall not to cross it; something they wouldn't even have imagined doing just a few hours earlier.

"You're doing your jobs, I know. But, Garden was infiltrated by the thing that caused _that_." Squall pointed toward the town of Balamb, where a fog hung over the town from the eruption of Quake spells that had been cast hours before.

"Please, I need to see the Headmaster so I can explain all of this to him. Guide us there if you have to, but I need to see him ASAP. Instructor Dincht is still down there with Faust trying to—"

"Under _no circumstances_ ," repeated Ruby. Squall shook his head and turned back toward Rinoa.

"I need to try and call Zell. Maybe he can talk some sense into them if I get him to rent a car and come up here," he explained to her.

"Do you think they'll listen?" she asked.

"Well, we're the 'culprits' apparently, right? If he's okay with leaving ground zero for a few minutes to clear this mess up, we'll clear the air, and head back to Balamb with some medics. Then I'll lead a battalion over toward Dollet. That's where witnesses saw the thing fly off to."

Squall put the phone to his ear, but it immediately went to voicemail.

 _That guy never remembers to charge his phone…_

"Nothing?" she asked. Squall shook his head and turned back toward the four SeeDs, all still with their weapons drawn.

"SeeDs!" yelled a voice from behind them. Three of them kept their eyes on Squall and Rinoa, while Scarlet turned to look at who was calling them. Squall was relieved to see Nida running toward them in his SeeD uniform. He stopped to address the four mercenaries.

"The Headmaster has rescinded his order for you to guard the gate. Also, the title of Commander has been restored to Squall Leonhart. I cannot tell you more until all of those who've been dispatched on missions return with their reports, but in short, Garden was infiltrated, and they attempted to stir a commotion by impersonating the Commander and the Sorceress—"

"Nida!" shouted Squall.

"S—Sorry! I mean the Commander and Rinoa Heartilly. We'll have more information available for you when all members of SeeD have returned. Report to your dorms on the double. This is an order from the Headmaster himself!"

The Arch SeeDs put away their weapons and saluted Nida. As they went to run back to Garden, Squall felt a little vindication was due.

"Cadets!" he yelled to them. They stopped in their tracks and turned around immediately to salute their commander. Squall could see the looks of fear upon their faces, and he took it as a sign that he'd gotten his wish.

"Now, go!" he shouted. The four SeeDs scurried away, and running toward them in the distance, Squall saw Xu.

"Nida, is everything okay out here?" she asked.

"All's well. The Commander just had to put some sense into those SeeDs we dismissed."

Xu walked down the stairs and saluted Squall.

"We still don't know much about what's going on, Squall. Quistis seems to think we were infiltrated as well; she said it as soon as she woke up in the infirmary. Do _you_ have any idea what's happening?" she asked.

While Squall butted heads with Cid on occasion, his differences with Xu were often settled through a series of passive aggressive remarks. To say Nida and Rinoa were immediately uncomfortable as the two met each other's eyes was an understatement.

"A Mimic has appeared and apparently has been going around impersonating members and personnel of our Garden."

Xu looked at him like he had had one-too-many to drink.

"A Mimic, Squall?" she asked skeptically. He nodded, showing the healed wound on the left side of his torso.

"This is from it catching me off guard and imitating my Rough Divide. I know what you're thinking, but yes, it's real, Xu."

Squall seemed to be opting out of their usual exchanges in concern for their current situation. Xu shook her head and rubbed the sides of her head.

"Are you okay, Xu?" asked Rinoa. The look Xu returned wasn't a welcoming one.

"…Rinoa, this 'Mimic' impersonated you, too?" Her tone wasn't very welcoming, either.

"Yes! I haven't spoken with Quistis at all today, but apparently it was pretending to be me, and made her cry or something!"

Xu was hesitant to accept her explanation.

"Believe her, Xu. She snuck out of the Garden after waking up to this commotion. She feared for her safety. Judging by how those SeeDs were holding down the front gate, I'd say she had good reason."

"Of course. Why wouldn't you say that, Squall?" she asked, insinuating bias in his reasoning; something very unbecoming of a SeeD. Squall gritted his teeth harder to keep from losing his temper again.

"Xu...I'm going to say this _once_. This situation is unlike one we've ever encountered before. Considering how seriously we take identifying a suspect at face value, this creature could cause us a lot of grief and confusion before we defeat it. So...please, _do not_ speak me to that way."

Xu turned away from the Commander and walked over to Nida.

"What did the Headmaster say?" she requested. Squall took note of her dismissal of his explanation, but didn't want to exercise his authority over someone he'd known for so long, especially when he'd just gotten it back after a flurry of confusion.

"We're to bring the two of them to the Headmaster's office. He said you're allowed to stay for the mission report, Xu," relayed Nida.

She nodded and turned toward Squall and Rinoa.

"Well, let's go," she ordered. Looking to just get this over with, Squall stopped short as Rinoa tugged back on his jacket. He looked back and saw the same scared girl he'd freed from the Sorceress Memorial in Esthar. She was being persecuted and judged by all those around her because of her title, and it made their fears of alienation and potential betrayal feel all the more real.

"Rinoa…" he reassured, taking her hands.

"Squall, this is getting so out of hand."

He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I know, I know. We'll figure something out, I promise. I promise, Rinoa. I won't let them hurt you."

From comforting Rinoa, his attention quickly turned toward the sound of footsteps coming up the road.

"Faust?"

The young cadet stopped right in front of them and gave both Squall and Rinoa a firm salute.

"Did Zell send you here?" asked Squall.

"No, sir; Zell was ordered by SeeD Tilmitt and Mr. Kinneas to head straight to Dollet and head off The Mimic. They were supposed to rendezvous there along with the White SeeDs. I don't know what the status of their mission is, but I came back to inform you. With the help of the people of Balamb, all those injured from the attack are now recuperating in Balamb Hospital."

Faust's report further confirmed that Cid had gone over the Commander's head and organized a mission in secret. This normally would've infuriated him, but Squall saluted his student back, and then turned toward Nida and Xu.

"You both heard that, right?" Nida nodded yes, while Xu crossed her arms and stared Faust up and down.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital yourself, Faust?" she pressed.

Faust turned to her, still at attention.

"Yes, ma'am, but I'm the one who first encountered the Mimic. I ran out to help Commander Squall and Instructor Dincht in spite of their—"

"That's enough, Faust," interrupted Squall.

The cadet quickly stopped talking and turned toward his commander.

"There's a lockdown in effect because of everything that's happened. You're sure that ground zero has been secured for now?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Ok. Head to your room; we'll discuss everything we talked about earlier once we've formulated a plan. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir!" Faust gave one last salute to the two high-ranking SeeDs, his Commander, and finally Rinoa.

Rinoa gave her poor version of a salute back and smiled. Faust was the only student who saluted her, despite her not having any rank within Garden. It was a small gesture, but it made her feel like she had another friend there, and the timing couldn't have been better.

"You're getting better at the salute. A few more years and maybe it'll look official," Squall teased. Rinoa nudged his arm, earning her a small smile from her knight.

"How long did it take you to come up with that one? Just wait until later, Commander," she taunted back.

Squall nodded, and then turned toward Xu and Nida.

"Lead the way."

* * *

Xu opened the door to the office where Cid, Edea, and Quistis were waiting. Rinoa saw Quistis' face and immediately rushed to her side.

"Oh my goodness! Quistis, no! Quistis! Quistis!" she kept repeating as she stared in horror at the bruises that marred her friend's face.

"Rin...it's really you..." Quistis said as she took in the genuine concern only Rinoa Heartilly could convey.

"Of course it's me! But, enough about that—you're hurt, Quistis!"

The two leaned into each other and held one another as two real friends would. There were tears, but they were a mix of sad and happy ones. Rinoa was sad that Quistis had been subjected to something under the guise that it was _her_ doing, but happy that there was no more confusion about who the perpetrator was. Quistis on the other hand, was just relieved to be holding her friend once more. What she'd seen in the link was lingering in the back of her mind, but what she'd heard about what fate apparently had befallen her two friends made her hug Rinoa even tighter.

Squall stepped in, uncomfortable with the dramatic display of emotion. He understood it, but he still wasn't akin to it. Despite not being responsible for Quistis' injuries, he felt that as the Commander, not to mention her friend, he should've been able to prevent it—impossible as that was.

"Are you okay, Quisty?" he whispered. Quistis looked at him and fell speechless; he'd called her by her nickname from the orphanage. Squall despised those nicknames, and _never_ used them with anyone. The surprise on Quistis' face told him he may never hear the end of this.

 _I swear, if they tell Selphie…_

"I'm okay, Squall, thank you. You know, we never had a nickname for you. We should think of one," she replied, still sniffling back her relief to see them both okay.

"Please don't," he requested. Both Rinoa and Quistis laughed, and Squall stood up to salute the Headmaster and Edea.

"Headmaster, Matron; I have an extensive report to give," he stated.

"We're somewhat aware of what's going on, but haven't been able to contact anyone. Our communication systems are still down; whoever, or whatever was here set out to dismantle them and prevent us from reaching any of you," replied Cid.

 _So, it's not only malevolent, but it's calculating, too…_

"First things first, though. Are _you_ okay?" asked Edea, eyeing the deep gash in his left side.

"I'm fine. Rinoa came and…" Squall turned back and saw that Xu was the only person outside of their usual group in the room. She stood in the corner, exerting the same cold disposition she had at the front gate.

"Sir, if I may, is it entirely appropriate that Xu be here for this?" he asked. The Headmaster calmly nodded back to the Commander.

"We need support, Squall. Things are about to get harder than we had anticipated. Xu holds a position of authority amongst the students that goes unchallenged, unless by you or me." Cid turned to his side and addressed Xu.

"I understand why you're all the way over there, but you need to be just as open to the things you're going to hear as we are about telling you them."

Xu nodded and walked over toward where Squall was standing. She saluted them both, then sat down in a chair by the window. Behind her was a tote bag with her laptop, and she opened it promptly, ready to record the notes of Squall's report.

 _Can't fault her professionalism, that's for sure..._

"Proceed, Squall," said Cid.

Squall readjusted his posture to at attention, and then began his report. Ever the dedicated soldier, he included everything that had happened while he was away with Zell, from the discussion with the doctor regarding Faust's confusing test results, to the food they had for their early dinner with Ma Dincht. It wasn't until he finally brought up the Mimic, from its panicked reveal, to its uncanny abilities, that Cid, Edea, and Quistis could finally confirm that the Mimic was indeed a very real threat.

"…I see. Your closing statements?" asked Cid.

"I have determined, sir, that the creature we fought is indeed a Mimic. I don't know how it came to be, but the Mimic is very real and seems to have its sights set on our Garden. It's specifically seeking to disrupt order amongst the SeeDs, the Garden faculty, and Rinoa and I, as well as interfering with any and all attempts to rectify these deeds how we normally would. Faust has informed me that Zell was ordered to go to Dollet by Selphie to track the Mimic, and that the White SeeD ship that she and Irvine were on was en route there as well to meet with him and help him fight it. I do not know what has come of their endeavor. That is my report."

Cid nodded and saluted the Commander.

"At ease, Squall. Well done." The Headmaster briefly turned his attention to Xu.

"You get all that?" he asked. She nodded, and closed the screen of the laptop.

Cid wiped the sweat that had built up on his forehead, then looked over to Squall.

"Well, I suppose you're wondering why we dispatched Irvine and Selphie on a mission without telling you."

Squall stared at Cid a bit before responding. His mind had been preoccupied only with Rinoa, the news of this secret mission had only been an afterthought until now.

"I...imagine you have your reasons." Squall's duty as a Knight had trumped his responsibility as Commander, and he struggled within to reassume his usual composure when speaking with Cid.

The Headmaster nodded, and slowly walked over to Rinoa. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked to her with great concern.

"Just one," he replied. If the White SeeDs were involved, that meant Ellone was now a part of their team. Knowing his Sis would be with him throughout this stilled his usual temper when people referred to Rinoa's powers. It also meant she knew about the mysterious man he'd seen in his vision; that she meant for him to see _that_ moment.

 _That man...Griever…_

"Squall?" Rinoa called quietly.

Returning to the room, the young Knight pushed on.

"Does this have to do with a man that…may've known my parents?" he asked cautiously. Quistis quickly grew concerned. Within moments, the conversation had turned from the strange creature that had infiltrated their Garden, to Irvine and Selphie's mission—which they hadn't been allowed to discuss with them—to the mysterious man she'd seen in her own vision. It was clear Squall hadn't seen _everything_ there was to their visitor. Her concern only grew—though she kept it in check—when she realized Selphie, Irvine, and Ellone were actually bringing him here.

"Laguna doesn't know we've contacted him. I imagine Ellone may've informed him by this point, but for the most part we've tried to keep as quiet as possible about it," Cid continued.

"Headmaster, what does Ellone have to do with any of this?" asked Quistis.

"She's Commander of the White SeeDs now, Quistis," explained Edea.

Ellone's involvement hadn't struck either SeeD as odd considering her powers, but to be promoted to Commander of the White SeeDs?

"She is?! How come no one told us?" Quistis exclaimed.

"I'm curious about that as well, Headmaster. I knew she was close with them, but becoming their Commander would require far more than a year's worth of training," added Squall. Cid walked over to the window and adjusted his glasses.

"We were just as surprised as you were when we contacted them. You know how they keep their affairs separate from ours; locating them was incredibly difficult, but we decided at the last minute that Irvine and Selphie should be properly accompanied to pick up our client. If anyone could fulfill that desire in secret, it's the White SeeDs. Hearing Ellone's voice when we asked to speak to their leader...it slipped our minds to ask how that came to be."

"They'll be docking here and staying nearby while the man they went to pick up is with us," Edea added.

Squall looked at his Matron with a child's worry, and sought answers from her like he would when he was small.

"I know that face," she noted, smiling kindly.

"Then you'll tell me what's going on, Matron?" he asked her. She nodded and took his hand.

 _What's with all of the touching going on here? Did everyone forget about personal space?_

 _…Well, it's Matron; I guess I'm okay with that._

"Don't get lost in your thoughts now, Squall," she warned. He shook his head and gave her his undivided attention.

"We've dispatched Irvine and Selphie, who are—with the help of the White SeeDs—escorting a man who has unique abilities to help a Sorceress control her powers."

Quietly, Quistis crossed her arms, secretly drawing conclusions about the man herself.

 _So, he's an asset to us?_

 _The ring...he gave it to Raine...but when? After he—_

Her train of thought was quickly derailed when Rinoa jumped up from her seat and went on the defensive.

"What?! Edea, why didn't you ask me about something like this first?" she demanded.

"Rinoa, you've been locked away in your room with Squall since the incident in the training room. I couldn't tell you, because you wouldn't let me."

Rinoa was reluctant to retort, knowing that was true, but was still unhappy with their decision.

"Still...bringing someone from the outside into our— _my_ business is…it's a breach of trust."

Squall turned to Rinoa with his hands together, appearing to be pleading with her.

"Rinoa…I think we know this man. He's not a stranger," he reassured.

While the Sorceress looked back at her Knight utterly confused, Quistis took note of not only Cid and Edea's reaction—or lack thereof—to that statement, but Squall's complacency with anyone being brought into their matters to begin with.

"He knew my parents, right?" he asked again.

"Yes, Squall," replied Matron.

"He swore he'd see them again, didn't he?"

Edea drew curious pause before replying.

"Yes...that's right. Squall, how do you know this?" she asked. Squall sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sunk his head into his palm.

"Ellone contacted me while I was on my way here. I didn't know why at the time, but she sent Laguna and myself to the past, to a time when a man visited Raine's pub. I saw him, and, somehow, he saw me. He looked right at me, just like when Ellone sent me back to find out what happened between Rinoa and Ultimecia at Galbadia Garden." Squall walked to the middle of the room and continued.

"He said we'd see each other again soon. I thought he was talking to my parents. Maybe he was at the time, but at that moment he said it to _me_. I don't think he meant how we're going to rendezvous with him and the others soon, either. I think he was referring to my—" He turned to Rinoa who was following his every word. After taking a deep breath, he finished,

"—our rings."

She didn't know what to make of that. It sounded crazy, actually, but there wasn't much going on that _didn_ 't seem completely crazy.

"So you know, then. You know that Griever is coming?" asked Cid. That was the first time he'd heard someone else say his name. Rinoa and Quistis, however, had very different reactions.

"Griever? The name you gave the ring? It's…he's a…what? Squall, I don't understand!" exclaimed Rinoa.

Quistis on the other hand jumped at the chance to pry for more information, and acted as if she had no prior knowledge of the man.

"Squall, that's the name of the GF we fought during our battle with Ultimecia. How could this man and that monster be related?" added Quistis.

He turned and shrugged to both of them.

"I have no idea what any of it means. I just know the man I saw was Griever. My ring used to be his. I never really knew why I named it Griever; it just felt right. I've had it since I was a baby. Matron, didn't you say it was left for me by someone special?" he asked. Edea nodded and smiled, starting to choke up.

"Your mother, Squall. Raine left it for you."

Seperately, both Squall and Quistis honed in on one question.

 _So, he was there to give it to her. Why?_

"Squall, I'll be attempting to use our communication systems again to reach out to the ship once Nida gets back to me with an update on the repairs. Do you want to speak with him if I get through?" asked Cid.

Squall shook his head and took Rinoa's hand. He looked to her with the same look he'd given her so many times during the war. The look he'd reserved just for her; that everything would be alright, and that he would make sure of it.

"No, I'll talk to him when he gets here. I think he's waiting for a certain time for us to speak," he replied. He tightened his grip on Rinoa's hand.

"Plus…I left all of the Balamb fish I was going to bring back from Ma Dincht's for Rinoa behind. I need to try and make it up to her, even if I am as bad of a cook as Laguna." The tenderness in his voice was no surprise when referring to Rinoa, but to Laguna? To Rinoa, this all seemed very out of place for him.

"Okay, we'll leave you to that, then," replied Cid. "You're dismissed. Quistis, shall I page Dr. Kadowaki to come take a look at you?"

"Actually, Headmaster, if it's alright with you...Quistis, do you want to come with us?" asked Rinoa.

Squall wanted time with Rinoa to himself, but he'd called Quistis 'Quisty' when he'd seen her. A part of him wanted her to come along, too. There would always be later on that night, anyway.

"Thank you for the invite, but I'm going to monitor the situation with our students. Someone needs to put out all of the rumors flying around here," she replied with a shy smile.

"Be careful, then," Squall insisted.

Rinoa looked at her Knight and tried to hide her smile. To anyone else, this was just Squall giving an order like any other, but she knew this was his way of telling someone he was worried about them. If she could've opened up his chest and brought a spotlight into the room, she'd start showing off his heart to everyone, exclaiming: _Look, he has one! I told you! I told you all, and I was right!_

"...Thank you, Squall," Quistis replied. Though her spirits were dwarfed by the giddy Rinoa's, the sentiment wasn't lost on her, either.

The Commander nodded, and turned back to the Headmaster for any further orders.

"We need to prepare for when they arrive. Hopefully, we can get in touch with them before then. Xu, I'll need your help organizing all of this intel to form a cohesive report," instructed Cid.

"Yes, sir, right away." Xu stood and turned to Squall and Rinoa.

"I'm sorry about before. I just…"

Squall waved her off and shook his head.

"It's…it's ok. You were just doing your job."

Xu gave him and Rinoa a firm salute, and he promptly returned it. Rinoa tried to do one, but stopped halfway through and just shrugged.

"One day! I'm gonna get it, I swear!" she joked. With that, the couple walked out of the infirmary.

Though it was hard to tell, Squall could think of nothing but meeting the man he'd just seen, but felt like he'd known his entire life.

Rinoa was just happy things had settled down and that they could both get some much needed relaxation.

Quistis, however, prepared to face her murderer.

* * *

With the last of her charts rolled up, Ellone closed the drawer in her desk and headed out to the stern of the boat. Night had fallen, and her crew was awaiting her orders. She scanned the deck for her friends, until she finally saw Irvine and a very tired Griever up against the wall near the cabins.

"Irvine!"

She rushed over to the tallest member of their friend group and slammed into him with a tight hug. Unsure as to what was motivating his friend, Irvine lightly returned the gesture, and then eased out of her embrace.

"Ok, that was no Selphie-hug, but I give it an eight out of ten. What do you think, Griever?" he asked.

The Knight shrugged.

"I've only hugged that patty-cake girl since I got here. I don't know how to gauge these kinds of things."

"Hmmm, something tells me that'll change once Selphie finds out what the Mimic did to you."

Ellone, surprised by the two men's sudden comradery, piped up.

"The Mimic?! What happened? Is everything ok? Where's Selphie and Zell?!"

The two men noted the White SeeD Commander's anxious behavior before responding.

"The Mimic attacked me with a spell that sent me into the link. While you were talking to Squall, you didn't happen to sense my presence, did you?" Griever asked.

Ellone drew pause, an epiphany ringing freshly in her mind.

 _The yellow light…it was Griever!_

 _He must've seen the vision too, but then why is he acting like nothing happened?_

"No, I didn't," she lied. The time to press Griever over his behavior was reserved for when they were alone. Considering Irvine would be around him every waking moment, that could be hard to make happen, but she'd find a way.

"Maybe it didn't send you into the link after all. You said you don't remember seeing anything, right?" asked Irvine. Griever nodded, and then leaned against the wall before crossing his arms over his chest.

"It sent me somewhere—it couldn't have just knocked me out cold."

"Yeah, you're one tough mother—"

"What about Selphie and Zell?! Where are they? Are they ok?!" Ellone interrupted again.

Irvine couldn't help but elicit a chuckle—though mildly uncomfortable—in response to her behavior.

"Zell's in the infirmary. He's still out from when the big guy here pulled him from the fight. Selphie only had one cup of coffee today—I found her passed out on her cot."

Ellone's worries subsided for a short second to ensure her petite friend's quirky standards for a good night's sleep were met.

"Did you tuck her in?" she asked, relaxing a little as a small smile crept up on her face.

"She's like a little sushi-wrap," Irvine replied, clearly proud of his accomplishment.

"Good," Ellone said back.

The sharpshooter turned to his client and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Speaking of sleep, you must be exhausted from everything. Wanna hit the hay?" he asked, both literally and metaphorically.

"Soon," Griever replied warily.

Ellone could sense something was wrong with the usually stoic Knight. He seemed confused, troubled even. Irvine's expression when he turned back to her all but confirmed her suspicions.

"Well, I'm gonna go check on my wrap. I'm guessing Squall's ok, since you haven't brought it up yet," he inferred.

Ellone nodded, folding her hands over her midsection.

"He's ok. We couldn't communicate with each other, but…the plan worked. As far as I know, at least."

"It worked," the Knight added irritably.

Sensing his client wasn't in the best of moods, Irvine tipped his hat to Ellone and Griever, and headed off to Selphie's room. Ellone turned to the Knight and looked him over cautiously. Somehow, his skin actually looked paler than usual; whatever the Mimic had done to him in Dollet had taken a toll.

"So…" Griever began. Not wanting to let him control where the conversation went, Ellone carefully started sleuthing for any details on what he had seen.

"I didn't know it was you who was sent back, but I knew someone else was there." Trying to control her emotions after having seen this man just kill her best friend—even if it was in another timeline—was already proving difficult. She hadn't meant to dive right in, but the question of whether or not they could really trust this man had been driving her crazy since she'd woken up.

The Knight nodded slowly, and then sighed.

"So, what happened?" he asked her. Perplexed, Ellone drew pause before responding to his inquiry.

"What do you mean what happened? You were there, you saw everything just like we did!"

Griever shook his head slowly, and then brought his right hand up to his forehead, pinching the sides as if to quell pain brought on by a headache.

"No, I didn't."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

The Knight pushed himself up off the wall. In place of his exhaustion was a helplessness Ellone couldn't have imagined him ever experiencing.

"I was there in the link with you…but I can't remember what I saw. I think I may've seen my late wife for a moment, but I can't be sure. Was she there?" he asked somberly.

"I don't know…I didn't see her. But, you were there. The two of you did…what you did, together, right?"

Griever nodded and let out another heavy sigh.

"I was probably following her instructions, then. So, you saw me? Can you tell me what I did, then?"

 _He really has no idea._

 _How? How could be have seen everything and then just forget all of it?_

Ellone took in a deep breath before she cautiously relayed what she saw.

"You…you fought and killed the Headmistress of Balamb."

Griever nodded.

"Did you see me become the Monster?"

Ellone nodded, pushing herself to maintain eye contact. He spoke all too calmly about something so horrible. He'd rationalized his actions as a man, and even his past self spoke of the persecution Sorceress' and their Knights had faced before them. The Monster on the other hand, had no motivation to fight, that's just what it was created to do. When Griever said he'd been changed, had he given up a part of himself so that he could become one with the Monster?

"I'm sorry you had to see that…"

His condolences were monotone, but sincere.

 _He said he didn't regret any of what he'd done to protect his wife—only that he wished it had never come to it._

 _…He doesn't want this for us, that's why he's here; that's what he told us in Centra._

Going against her instincts, Ellone chose to believe the Knight. But, after drawing conclusions about the past from what she'd seen, and what he'd told her, there was one inconsistency in his tale that didn't add up.

"Griever, you said that it all happened hundreds of years in the future, right?" she asked.

"That's right," he replied.

Ellone took in another deep breath before continuing.

"You know what you did…but do you remember any battles that were…exceptional?"

The Knight looked at her confused.

"Pardon?"

His tone had changed. Ellone had pulled at a loose thread in his mind. Pulling too hard could break it off, and she'd lose his attention, but pulling it carefully to unravel the memory might have dire consequences. If she could just get him to remember clearly for a moment, it might allow her to learn more about his, and in some sense, their past.

"Do you remember any of the battles you fought? Against any of the SeeDs who took a stand against you and Ultimecia?"

It was then that Ellone bore witness to perhaps the most tragic result of his serving Ultimecia. Griever looked down at the ground pensively, trying to remember something—anything, from his past. Each time she thought he might've come close to something, he'd wince, and the more it happened, the worst the pain seemed to become. It kept happening in closer intervals, until suddenly, through the link, she heard the voice that mocked Quistis before rushing to strike her.

 _This isn't why we're here._

 _Searching the past will not help you fulfill your duty._

 _You failed once. Failing again is not an option…_

The Monster reprimanded Griever for his attempt to recall the past, and without question, the Knight obeyed its orders. He looked back up from the ground disappointed, although Ellone wasn't sure as to what at first.

"…I'm sorry Ellone, I can't remember."

She wanted to scream, demanding he acknowledge the Monster's control over him. Edea, Seifer, and then Rinoa—Ellone had bore witness to one too many people be robbed of their free will by Ultimecia. He'd said the Monster was a part of what he became when she changed him, and it was the very thing that had driven him to spill the blood of millions. Impulse took over, and she tried to reach out to him through the link.

 _No, Griever! You need to fight it! Don't give—_

He looked at her, his jaw clenched, and he slowly shook his head.

"This is my burden to bear!" he blurted out, derailing her train of thoughts. She could only stare back at the broken, yet still proud Knight as he stood up straight and readjusted his posture.

"Did you hear it, just now?" he asked her. She nodded yes, nervously swallowing her fears as he sighed and looked away.

"Ellone…for your own sake, don't ask questions about a time where no one had the right answer. When I made this choice, I knew right well what I was leaving behind. Even if I can't remember it now…I'm sure it's for the best."

He turned to his side and meandered warily to the staircase leading to the time-out room.

"And besides…it's gone, Ellone. That time, that world…it's all gone. History will not remember the events of a world destroyed. What we need to do now is focus on saving _this one_. That's why I'm here. Do you understand? I'm here to help.

"No matter what you saw, it's not representative of who I am now. I was Ultimecia's Knight, but now, I am just a man with no honor, trying to spare another man my sorrows."

Slowly, the Knight walked down the stairs one at a time, his fatigue taking its course. Ellone watched him lethargically wander into the darkness, before her nerves superseded the instructions she'd been given.

"Griever!" she called out.

The Knight slowly turned to face her, and she looked back with a cold stare. If he had been anyone else, he'd be taken aback by her change in demeanor, but he welcomed her scowl. He deserved it, even if he wasn't completely sure why.

"…You're still here. You may not be able to recall them, but your memories have shaped your journey, all the way to the present—our present. I want for you to help Squall and Rinoa more than anything…but, while your world may be gone, it isn't _forgotten_. As long as you're here, you serve as the one thing keeping that world, and the people from that world, alive."

Griever gazed back at the White SeeD Commander expressionless. She couldn't tell if he'd actually heard her, or if something else had stepped in, and was now about to respond in his stead.

"You're right."

He responded in his normal voice, and both his words and his tone—still apologetic and guilt-ridden—stunned her into silence.

"Should anything come of it, I'll do everything I can to keep it from hurting anyone. I will _not_ fail you all."

With that, he turned back towards the stairs and continued his slow walk down.

"Goodnight, Ellone. And, remember, some questions…are just best left unanswered." He opened the door to his room and closed it quietly behind him. Ellone folded her arms across her chest and stared out over the ocean as the ship began to disembark from Dollet.

"I'll keep that in mind…"

* * *

 _So...two and a half months isn't that long, right?  
No, I know it's been forever, but I moved to the city, and have had just about no free time until recently. I finally found the time to dive back into this, but I'm also very glad the last chapter went over so well and that it—hopefully—held everyone over :D_

 _Anywho, thanks to_ Yadda Wadda BaddaBoom, siobhane, h34rt1lly, social substrate, and SilentStarlightSky _, for your wonderful reviews!  
And an additional thanks to _Luna Manar, Aetherial, and viper2999 _for following/favoriting my little (though not so much anymore,) fic! You're all great, and inspire me to make the time to push on with this endeavor!_

 _I'll be back way, way sooner for the next update. Hopefully I can return to my normal posting schedule (every two weeks or so,) relatively soon. Give or take a week or two at first...well, until next time, hope you all enjoy! :D_


	13. The Lions Meet

**Chapter 12: The Lions Meet…**

* * *

The moon had been out in full that night, and was now slowly fading into the skies as the light of dawn spread outward from the east. Griever leaned over the side of the ship with a cup of coffee in his hand, and took in a deep breath of the Balamb sea air.

 _I missed this…_

He couldn't remember when exactly he'd last been in Balamb—or anywhere other than Centra, really. If someone asked him to describe his life from his earliest memory, the most he'd be able to recall would be a vague glimmer of when he and Ultimecia lived undisturbed on The Cape of Good Hope. The vision Hesiod had forced upon him with its spell; while what he saw troubled him greatly, the fact that he couldn't recall _any_ of it bothered him more. He couldn't name any of his former enemies; he only knew that they were SeeDs.

" _Kurse all SeeDs!"_

Her words rang through his head as though she were whispering them into his ear. He'd given up most aspects of his humanity for her, so upon defecting from her ranks, small traces of it began to return. Enough for him to give Raine his ring; enough to establish contact with Edea and Cid; enough to convince Irvine, Selphie, and Ellone that he could be trusted; and it would hopefully be enough to calm Zell's rightfully placed anger after he learned of his origin. On top of this, in just a few hours, he'd be meeting Cid and Edea in person for the first time, after months of only making phone calls.

He was nervous; the two people who'd first welcomed him into this time would finally lay eyes upon him. Would they be scared? Would they turn him away after seeing what he looked like?

 _No…Edea knows me._

Though they had never actually spoken, the bond between a Sorceress and her Knight was so strong that they could go eternity without speaking to one another and know exactly what the other was thinking. Simply by proxy, Edea and Griever had connected in one way or another. It was the first time in centuries he'd seen another person, and seeing and hearing them; learning what their thoughts, hopes, and dreams were, resonated strongly with him. It might've been a catalyst for his transformation _back_ into a person who acknowledged their feelings and followed their convictions, instead of allowing themselves to be led along blindly.

When she possessed Rinoa, her fragility and fear of what was happening cut him like a knife. All of those feelings he'd suppressed came rushing back, and he felt empathy for the person his wife was trying to control.

 _But, I was too scared…_

He still loved her, even as far gone as she was. He fled, and during her attempts to stop him—be it because she still loved him, or because she knew she needed his power to be truly safe from harm—Squall stepped into the fray and saved the woman he'd fallen for. When Rinoa became a Sorceress herself, Squall declared himself her Knight, and they traveled to the future through compressed time to defeat Ultimecia so she could no longer meddle in the past. In that moment, where the past, present, and future were on the verge of becoming one, Griever took a chance, and dove into the past in hopes of changing—no, saving the future—something Ellone had tried desperately to do but simply could not.

It had been a trying few years for him, or at least he thought they were years. But, he'd survived, and in just a few hours, his perseverance would pay off—or so he hoped.

"Hey," came a voice from behind him. He turned and saw his bodyguard for the time he'd be here: Irvine Kinneas. He couldn't put his finger on why he'd picked him; his whole spiel about how since he had a gun he could "stop trouble from afar" sufficed, but there was another reason he specified for him to take the job. He just wished he knew what it was.

"Is he waking up?" Griever asked about Zell. Irvine nodded and walked into the small rec-room where the coffee machine was.

"Hey, is this dark roast?" asked Irvine.

"I think so? It looks dark…" replied Griever, unable to remember what the difference between various "roasts" of coffee were. Up until a few minutes ago, he'd forgotten what coffee tasted like; he only poured himself a cup after seeing a few White SeeDs do it before him.

Irvine walked out onto the deck with his cup, and Griever noticed it smelled different from his.

"Is _that_ dark roast?" asked Griever.

"Yeah, this is dark. You're drinking medium roast. It only really matters if you live on the stuff. I switched out the pots so that Selphie could have her early morning dark brew when she wakes up. You should have a piece of gum or something before you talk to her, or just keep your distance. She has this thing about coffee; if the beans aren't charred she goes bonkers."

Griever laughed and took a sip of his beverage.

"I'm more concerned with how Zell will react upon meeting me," he replied.

Irvine nodded understandingly.

"Selphie and Ellone put him in restraints about an hour ago. It should be enough to keep him in bed if he tries to lunge at you," Irvine offered as comfort.

The Knight was unenthused about their having to go to such lengths to quell Zell's temper, but out of all the repercussions of the life he'd led, this was welcome, if anything.

"What if I just start in with, 'Hey, you're welcome for pulling you out of the fight. Oh, and helping you save the world, too'," deadpanned Griever.

Irvine spit his coffee back into his mug upon the Knight's unexpected quip.

"The Knight's got jokes, huh?"

"The Knight's nervous. Last time I met any of you, I was drinking tea. This stuff is great, but I'm hardly relaxed."

Irvine turned around and leaned back up against the side of the boat, looking up at the sky as different shades of crimson and violet spread across it.

"Well, we've got your back. Besides Zell's a cream puff. Just a more impulsive version of Selphie who prefers high-fives and hot dogs over hugs and candy."

Griever emitted a muffled chuckle at Irvine's observation, and nodded.

"Need a refill?" asked the sharpshooter.

"I'm taking my time with this, but thank you," replied Griever.

As Irvine walked back over to the rec-room, a tired Selphie, wearing a canary-yellow onesie pajama suit with chocobos on it, slumped over to where she smelled coffee.

"Oh good, I was just about to get another cup," said Irvine.

"Is it dark?" she asked, her voice still groggy with sleep.

"Yes, and I made it especially for you." She leaned her head on his arm, and he wrapped it around her and helped her into the room.

"I've never seen these pj's before. Where'd you get them?" he asked.

"Sis gave them to me. She said a girl who'd found a home left them behind and thought I'd like them. What do you think?"

"They're cute," replied Irvine, really referring to the fact that Selphie would be turning nineteen soon, and still wore things like onesie pajamas.

She sipped on her drink as the two of them made their way back over to Griever.

"Morning, Grievy," she greeted while rubbing her eyes.

"Pardon?" the Knight asked.

"Grievy. You know, like gravy, but with your name. You know, Grievy!" she replied.

The Knight stared back blankly. He'd strictly eaten fish he caught off the shores while he'd stayed in Centra, and as of fifteen minutes ago, he'd just rediscovered coffee. Whatever gravy was, he just hoped it was good.

"That's my nickname for you; no one else can call you Grievy except me, okay?"

Still completely lost on the concept of what a nickname was, Griever nodded in agreement.

"No one but you; understood."

"Okay, good," she replied.

She got up on her tippy toes and gave Irvine a peck on the lips.

"I'm gonna go get dressed. Heeey, wanna come see all the other pj's Ellone left for me to look at? Maybe there's one you'll like!" she asked, starting to get excited.

Irvine laughed as he shook his head.

 _Of course, there's more than one pair._

"Maybe later. I'm the bodyguard, remember?" replied Irvine.

"Even right now?" she whined.

"Gotta keep up appearances. Am I right, Griever?" he asked.

Griever nodded back.

"Later tonight, if everything goes well upon our arrival, I'll let him have some time off, Selphie. I promise."

She pouted, but nodded understandingly.

"I'm gonna keep you to that, Grievy," she said.

"You have my word," he replied with a soft smile. She sighed, looking back at Irvine as she walked away. As she got farther, she sighed louder and louder until she got to her room and closed the door.

"Gotta love a gal with a sense of humor, right?" asked Irvine. Griever nodded in agreement, and finally finished his coffee.

"I'll go try some of this dark roast stuff you two are so into."

"Have at it, friend." Griever looked up from his cup at the sharpshooter, intrigued by what he'd called him.

"Friend?" he asked.

Irvine tipped his hat to him.

"I'm trying it out. You saved Zell, Selphie gave you a nickname; plus if this were a year ago, I would've been a lot more...friendly."

Griever smiled back and raised his cup to his new friend.

"I don't think any less of you for having your guard up. War changes people," he replied.

"If they let it," Irvine said with a half smile, nodding his head toward Selphie's door.

Griever let out another chuckle and turned for the rec-room. Before he could reach the coffee pot, Ellone came down to the deck, accompanied by two other White SeeDs.

"Commander," Griever acknowledged. Irvine turned to the three of them and saluted.

"Griever, Irvine, I just wanted to inform you that we'll be docking at the Alcauld Plains in an hour and a half. We've reestablished communications with Garden, and they're expecting us. Once we dock, Cid asked for Irvine, Selphie, and I to escort you to his office to file our reports before we all have the big meeting."

Griever nodded.

"Thanks for the update," he replied.

"They didn't mention Zell?" asked Irvine.

"They figured his actions in Dollet would be covered in our reports. We didn't miss too much of the fight, I don't think," she replied.

"Understood, thank you, Commander," said Griever before turning in to the rec-room to get some more coffee.

"Oh, and Griever?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"He's awake, if you're ready."

Irvine finished his second cup and placed it onto a nearby crate.

"Whaddya say, big guy?" he asked.

Griever sighed, but nodded in agreement.

"This should be the least of my worries. Once this is over with, you'd all do well to prepare for anything upon our arrival. I know you're all skilled fighters and such, but we're dealing with two forces that have intangible amounts of power."

"Two?" asked Ellone.

"Hesiod is one of them, and Rinoa, in spite of who she is, is the other. Don't regard her as any kind of threat until you're in any actual danger, but be prepared at all times. Hesiod is calculating, but we can respond to it accordingly. Rinoa is unstable, and that leaves us at a strategic disadvantage, so, just be prepared."

Irvine laughed and cracked his knuckles.

"I bet you and Squall could just spend a day talking about 'being prepared.' Good thing you're his teacher, huh?" he joked.

Griever turned back to Irvine with a serious expression.

"I know you're kidding around, but, when he and I aren't training, we'll be doing just that."

* * *

Zell's vision faded in and out as he awoke from the fight with the Mimic. In the distance he could hear Ellone talking with someone whose voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it to a face. His hands hurt terribly; he could tell they were bandaged up, but he still didn't want to see them in the condition they were in. He could _feel_ the missing flesh on his knuckles, and the indentations that had been made on the bone had to have looked so gross that even thinking about it made him feel sick.

"I think he's waking up!" He heard Selphie's voice from far away. Four sets of footsteps walked over to where he was resting. Irvine, Selphie, Ellone, and another man stood around him, checking to see if he was awake.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Please, stand closer." They all backed away, Ellone emitting a muffled laugh at his sarcasm.

"We got to you just in time, it seems. How're your hands feeling?" asked the man who had pulled him out of the fight.

"They hurt, a lot. Thanks, though, I don't know what would've happened had I kept going," Zell replied.

"It was completely unfazed, Zell. From the gunshot to your assault; it was like it hadn't taken any kind of damage whatsoever," remarked Irvine.

Zell shook his head in dismay.

"Great, the freak is invincible."

"Not invincible, just very powerful."

The group turned their attention to the stranger, and Zell could see they were listening intently. He figured he'd followed suit, and leaned in to hear more.

"Hesiod is a Mimic. Those voices you hear when it speaks aren't necessarily victims, but it seized them at one point in their lives and imitated them. Remnants of their characteristics linger inside it. When it's imitated warriors of sizeable power, it carries some of their abilities with it, and they combine and meld together over time. I'm guessing it told you its existence is a 'parody of yours', or something of the like?" the man asked.

"Those exact words, actually. You seem like you know a lot about…what did you call it? Hesiod?" asked Zell.

"That's its name," replied the man.

"Heeey Zell, aren't you gonna ask our friend for _his_ name?" interrupted Selphie.

The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, actually. He felt like he knew it already. It was on the tip of his tongue, when…

"Don't beat yourself up trying to piece it together. We've _sort of_ met before. For formalities sake, my name is Griever. Pleasure to meet you, Zell."

Zell's eyes grew wide at the sound of the stranger's name.

"I'd shake your hand but…well, you know. Also, you look like you've just seen a ghost," the Knight remarked.

"Well, if I haven't seen a ghost, than what's going on? Is your name really Griever?" asked Zell, his muscles already beginning to tense up. The Knight looked down and saw the veins in his forearms beginning to striate, and took a guarded step back before answering.

"That's what I was named by Ulti…" Zell bolted straight up out of his bed before Griever could finish his sentence. He was trying to bust out of his constraints, but they fastened tighter and tighter as he pushed harder and harder.

"Good call on the restraints, Selphie," Ellone praised.

"Thanks! They're made of the same fabric as straight jackets. I've seen him break out of handcuffs before, so I figured we'd go a different route. I don't know what Squall is going to do when he meets you though," she said to Griever.

Not sure what to make of their calm demeanor in the face of the blonde berserker trying to attack him, Griever played along.

"...He already knows I'm on my way, I'm sure. My past may bother him, but I think he, of all people, will be the most understanding. Along with Rinoa, possibly," he replied.

"You're basing this off of...what?" asked Irvine.

"Cid and Edea seemed to understand with no problem. I know they're the exception to the rule in terms of how these things tend to go, but I have a feeling that—"

"HELLO!? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO JUST HEARD HIM SAY ULTI-FRICKIN'-MECIA!?" Zell screamed amidst the calm. Griever sighed and contemplated as to how he'd segue back into _that_ conversation.

"You know, I saved your life, Zell. At least let me talk; they did."

"To be fair, I _did_ shoot you first," corrected Irvine. The Knight glared at his bodyguard, who let out a nervous smile upon eye contact.

"You're not helping," his client sternly stated.

Zell's blood continued to boil.

"WHAT IN HYNE'S NAME IS—" Before he could finish, Selphie lightly smacked Zell in the back of the head, and much to Griever's surprise, the martial artist fell into an almost sedated lull.

"Seriously, if one more person hits me in the head today…"

"Wow, that's all it takes to calm you down? Can I try?" Ellone teased.

Zell whirled around to take in his childhood friend in her decorated White SeeD uniform. Entirely too distracted by Hesiod's running amuck in Balamb and Dollet, he'd never followed up with her about when she became a White SeeD, let alone their Commander.

"Ellone, what the hell are you doing here? When did you become a White SeeD? And when did everyone become so chummy with the holder of the world's worst haircut over here? Who, just in case no one's been paying attention, SERVED ULTIMECIA!"

Unable to resist, Ellone innocently poked Zell's head—her version of a slap or a hit—causing the martial artist to once again fall into a temporary sedated lull.

"Ok, everyone get their fill of jokes?" he asked the room. Irvine slowly went to raise his hand until Selphie quickly pulled it back down.

"Good, then someone start talking RIGHT NOW!" the martial artist demanded.

"Calm down, man!" Irvine began. "Isn't it clear that there's nothing to worry about? If you just let him explain…"

Zell snapped his head toward Griever and stared him down.

"Talk," he hissed.

Griever wanted to further taunt him by asking him to "say please," but that would just be cruel at this point. He switched spots with Selphie and sat down next to Zell's bed.

"I may regret this later, but can the two of us have a minute alone?" he asked their three comrades.

Selphie looked at her left wrist, pretending she was wearing a watch, and then nodded.

"Sure! You have one minute before you regret this!" she chirped, before skipping out of the infirmary. Without adding to the already palpable tension, Ellone and Irvine followed their petite friend, leaving Ultimecia's Knight with one of her killers.

"You could probably finagle your way out of those restraints if you really wanted to, now that your friends are gone," the Knight began.

Zell glared at the Knight following his curious statement.

"And yet, you're still sittin' next to me," the blonde replied.

"It's not to spite you, I promise. But, wouldn't you have expected someone like me to cast down someone who's threatened them multiple times by now?"

"Not unless that would interfere with a plan they had," Zell swiftly retorted.

The Knight raised an eyebrow, impressed with the SeeD's quick, and quite reasonable, interpretation of his actions.

"Touche. Although, in this case, the only plan I have is to help you all. My chances of success improve vastly from you all staying in one piece. On that note, you're welcome, you know, for Dollet."

Zell narrowed his eyes at the giant man besides him, suddenly conflicted with whether his abrupt rage towards him was entirely justified.

A segue popped into Griever's mind that _might_ help Zell trust—or at least not want to kill him. He'd remembered everyone's reactions when he linked his actions to what Squall was capable of, and thought that might be the catalyst to get Zell on his side.

"You remember the world you traveled to, right? Shrouded in darkness, unable to see the ground beneath you…"

Zell nodded uncomfortably, and Griever continued.

"What if I told you that the fall of humanity was a result of two people...fighting _back_."

"I'd tell you to get the fu—"

Suddenly, Zell's conversation with Squall in Balamb played through his head. If Rinoa were to change, Squall would go with her, rather than try to stop her. The two of them would fight their friends, SeeD—anyone to survive, or at least that's how Squall had made it sound. Where Rinoa actually stood on this, he couldn't say.

"Rinoa's powers have traveled across many generations. Thousands of women have beared its burden, along with those who swore to protect them. Be it by necessity or prejudice, those who couldn't control it—which were most of them—perished, with but one exception…"

Zell noticed how quickly the Knight grew uncomfortable after acknowledging _he_ was part of the awful exception. He didn't have to think about who he'd fought back against, either; the visual of the fallen SeeDs scattered along the path leading to Ultimecia's castle left little to the imagination. Those words—by necessity or prejudice—Zell had been so preoccupied with what he and the others would do for Squall and Rinoa that he hadn't considered what, or _who_ else could be a problem.

"This world is different than mine. Peace has come about by the hands of six people, two of which had just taken on their new roles in life. A Sorceress and her Knight helped save everyone, and because of that, we don't have to worry about the general public. The biggest factor that could lead to this cycle continuing is their own grasp of their powers. Have either of them confided anything in you, Zell?"

"What makes you think they'd confide anything in me?" he responded defensively.

Griever smirked, only further angering the young fighter.

"When Rinoa needed help getting a hold of Squall's ring, she came to you."

"So?"

"And when you asked him for it, he actually gave it to you."

"What's your point? Quick, before I wipe that smug grin off your face!"

"They trust you."

Griever watched his words sink in as Zell's temper petered out as quickly as it had risen. Knowing time was of the essence, Griever took advantage of the blonde's sure-to-be short lived silence.

"You're the most justified in not wanting to trust me, but as someone who they've gone to as their confidant, over matters big and small, it's imperative you understand that I'm here to help."

"I already know I'm justified in not trusting _you_. Where's this going?" Zell retorted.

The Knight let out a deep breath before responding.

"Those premonitions Squall told you about foreshadow a world like mine."

Not wanting to let the silence between statement drag out too long, Zell continued to push the Knight for more information.

"How the hell do you know about those?"

"He's worn my ring, Zell. It's not a Sorceress-Knight bond, but we're still connected in a way. Even though he wasn't wearing it when he told you about them, I know the dialogue took place."

Zell fell silent. There was the answer to his next question—what's your association with the ring? Where do you fall into place with everything that happened even though we never heard of you?

 _But, we had kind of heard of him...the ring, the GF, what they both stood for…_

The martial artist turned toward the Knight, who was awaiting his reply.

"Great pride and strength...you're what Squall's been chasing all these years, aren't you?"

"In a sense, yes," Griever replied.

"He used to just want to take care of himself...but now he's got Rinoa, that means—"

"He thinks he needs it now more than ever," the Knight finished.

Zell slumped back into his pillow, frustrated he couldn't think of more to ask of the man. He couldn't think of more things to make him answer for, or more ways for him to explain himself. A part of him knew that Griever was only there to help, but he hated that he couldn't bring himself to grill the man any further.

"Call me out when you deem it appropriate, Zell."

The two warriors locked eyes, and Zell knew the Knight hadn't said that as a ploy. Intimidating as he was, with that phrase, Griever had essentially put the ball in Zell's court, and had no intention of taking it back.

"...We're not finished here," Zell finally replied.

The Knight nodded, and slowly stood up from his chair.

"As long as we can enter Garden without causing too much of a commotion, then we're at least on civil terms, no?"

Zell nodded begrudgingly, and Griever gave a small smile back.

"I'll be on deck. We arrive within the hour."

Griever walked out of the infirmary, and as he disappeared behind the swinging door, Ellone reappeared on the other side as it swung back.

"Whoa, where'd you come from?" he asked surprisingly.

"White SeeDs move quickly. Also...I may've been listening on the other side of the door," she admitted, a little embarrassed. Zell smiled at his friend's guilty blush as she walked over and sat besides him.

"Things sounded like they went ok, right?" she asked.

"I have no idea," he replied honestly.

Ellone nodded and moved her chair a little closer.

"I know...it's weird. It doesn't help that we're pressed for time, he couldn't tell you everything he told us."

"But, from what he told you, it allowed you to let him on here, right?"

"Without a shadow of a doubt," she replied firmly.

The White SeeD Commander had, surprisingly, not lost her trust in the man Griever had become, or rather, returned to. Though his actions were far worse than Seifer's, the only thing separating the two of them was that no one could stop Griever. Seifer had never spoken of his time during the war, or of the lives he'd taken under Ultimecia's command. If he could come to terms with it, would he be doing the same thing as Griever was now? What was perhaps even more striking, was that Squall may not've been that far away from becoming like either of them.

"Well, if _you_ trust him…" said Zell.

Ellone looked up curiously at the bandaged brawler.

"What makes my opinion so important?" she asked with a laugh. Zell shrugged, wincing slightly at the pain.

"Why wouldn't it be? You're...you're you. Ellone always knew what to do. Even during the war, everyone chased after you for the answers to their problems. We're not running around anymore, though. I think that's because you're here, now; keeping us grounded."

A heartwarming smile teased the corner of Ellone's lips, and she stood up and began unwrapping one of Zell's restraints.

"Let's get you up so I can give you a proper hug for that."

* * *

Xu's watch read "08:15 AM" exactly as the White SeeD ship came into view.

"Can you see anyone through your binoculars?" she asked Nida.

Nida squinted into his binoculars and saw Zell eating a hot dog while Ellone and Selphie chatted nearby.

"Zell, Selphie, and Ellone. No sign of Irvine or our guest of honor," he replied.

"Ok, just keep an eye out for the two of them. Cid wants visual confirmation of him being there before they come ashore, if possible."

"If he's trying to keep a low profile to avoid causing a commotion, why did we get the White SeeDs involved in this, let alone set up this red-carpet type of welcome?" asked Nida.

"Cid said this is just to ensure that he knows he'll be safe here. Once he's settled in, the lockdown on the students will be lifted. When he needs to get from one place to another, Irvine will be escorting him."

"Is he that high maintenance?" asked Nida again.

"No, he's that important," replied Xu.

Having been privy to the meeting with Squall and the Headmaster yesterday, Xu had assumed her usual level of responsibility in accommodating this man in any and every way possible. Any way she could secure the success of their mission, she would be game to do it.

"What does he look like again?"

"They didn't say. Apparently this will be their first face-to-face meeting in quite a while. Edea said he doesn't look the way he did when she knew him, and Squall's description fit with what Edea said how he used to look. Why?"

"Well, I see Kinneas with some guy who's around his height. He's huge, though. He looks like he can bench-press a car."

Xu grabbed the binoculars out of Nida's hands and looked through them.

"I guess he cut his hair…it looks terrible," she commented.

Nida spitefully yanked his binoculars back from her.

"The ship is coming in. Let's get ready to board."

Nida turned back to the four other SeeDs who had accompanied them there; the so-called "Arch-SeeDs." Squall had agreed they'd be best to accompany them, as long as they were kept in the dark regarding the details of the mission.

The White SeeD ship turned and circled around so that its side faced the isle. A large bridge extended from the deck, and Xu, Nida, and the four SeeDs walked up onto the deck. Waiting for them were Ellone, Zell, and Selphie, while Irvine and Griever stood toward the back of the hull and looked on from afar.

"Commander Ellone," greeted Xu, and the six of them saluted her.

"Xu," she replied, returning the salute.

"Selphie, Zell, it's good to see you're alright." They saluted each other, and Nida noticed how bandaged up Zell's hands were.

"What happened to your hands, Dincht?" he exclaimed. Zell quickly folded his arms and struggled to think of a reason this would've happened to him, instead of flat-out lying.

"I uh…was caught off guard by an angry Belhelmel. It was in mid-spin when I put my hands out to block it. Got cut pretty bad, but I'm okay."

"It looks _really_ bad," continued Nida.

"Yeah, well, it's not. I'm fine," Zell concluded abruptly. Xu looked over to Irvine and Griever. They were talking amongst themselves, and avoided making eye contact with her when they noticed her staring.

"Are they ready to enter the Garden?" asked Xu.

"Yes. We've been briefed that only you're allowed to escort us to Headmaster Cid's office. Zell will not be accompanying us past the front gates," replied Ellone. Xu nodded, and then turned to Nida and the four other SeeDs.

"That goes for you all, too. You're to wait with Squall, Rinoa, and Quistis outside until the lockdown is lifted," she instructed.

"We have to wait with the Sorceress?" asked one of the SeeDs.

"Her name is Rinoa. The Commander wouldn't like to hear that you called her that," reprimanded Xu. Looking unsatisfied with her answer, but forced to oblige, the young SeeD nodded and stood back at attention.

"Wait a minute, is that you, Ruby?" asked Zell. The SeeD turned to him and nodded.

"Yes, Instructor Dincht."

"What the hell? I taught you better than that! Cut that Sorceress crap out! She's one of us, and just as much of a hero, too. If I catch you calling her that again, I'll throw your ass in the disciplinary center for a month. We clear?" The young SeeD saluted her instructor, but she didn't look too thrilled about it.

"Yes, sir!" Zell folded his arms back over his chest, pleased with himself.

"Nice," complimented Selphie. Zell winked at her, and then Ellone cleared her throat to get their attention back.

"Shall we?" she asked Xu.

"Yes, let's make our way back," she replied. She turned to Nida and the four young SeeDs.

"Lead the way," she instructed. Nida turned and started down the bridge. The four SeeDs turned in single file and followed closely behind him. Xu motioned to the three of them to follow her, and Selphie turned back to Irvine and Griever to signal them to follow. They slowly walked over, still deep in conversation.

At the front gate, Squall waited with Rinoa and Quistis. He was leaning up against one of the pillars pensively; Rinoa and Quistis were nervously standing alone as well, but they weren't in the same place Squall was. He felt like he was about to meet his father for the first time. He'd already done that, and it wasn't so great, but if this was how that was _supposed_ to feel, then it made sense to him why everyone made such a fuss about it. He thought it had more to do with the fact that Laguna was the man they'd learned so much about from Ellone using them to connect with him, or that he was the president of Esthar. But, judging how he and the others felt about this, he felt his feelings of extreme anticipation were just.

"Hey." He looked up and saw Rinoa standing next to him.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"Aren't you?" he replied.

"A little. He is the man who gave you your ring, after all."

"Our ring…" he corrected her. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Do you make that mistake all the time on purpose?" he asked.

"Maybe. Or, maybe I still think of it as your ring, and I'm just the lucky girl who gets to have one too. I get to wear a ring just like the Commander of SeeD, no one else. Me; just me," she replied with a cute, teasing charm.

"That's for sure; only you," he said back.

They held each other's hands, and she noticed his was shaking.

"Hey, you sure you're okay?" she asked.

He swallowed his nerves and let out an anxious breath.

"I…I wonder what he'll think of me?" he said.

Rinoa rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder with her chin.

"I think he'll be very proud of you. Edea said he's really nice and has a lot of respect for all of us. The two of us in particular. Oh, and Irvine for some reason."

"Well, we _are_ the reason he's here, after all," replied Squall.

"Does that bother you?" she asked him. Squall looked at Rinoa and saw she was the one who looked worried now. He never wanted to instill any kind of doubt in her; he had to make her feel ok.

"No, it doesn't bother me. I just want what's best for you," he said. It was his way of dancing around what _exactly_ he was nervous about, but in terms of the big picture, he _was_ telling the truth.

She squeezed his hand and felt around for his ring.

"I have a feeling that when we get your— _our_ rings back, you'll feel better," she said.

 _Those rings are great, but what about a different pair of rings?_

 _No, we're still too young for that. Even if I know it's what I want, I don't want to rush her._

 _Just need to wait it out. There'll probably come a moment where I won't be able to resist and I'll just ask right then and there._

 _She'd probably like that more instead of me planning anything. Guess I'll scrap those notes I made about "the perfect place."_

"Hey, come back. I like having you here. You can get lost in your head when you're with anyone else, but _I_ like you here," joked Rinoa. Squall smiled softly and squeezed her hand back.

"Ok." That was it. Just an "Ok," and he was hers. He knew it, she knew it. Hell, even though Quistis couldn't really hear them, she knew he'd resigned himself to a request of hers, happily, at that.

"Hey, they're coming up to the gate now!" exclaimed Quistis. Squall immediately hopped off the ledge, pulling Rinoa toward the middle where Quistis was standing.

"Oh, sorry," he said.

"It's okay," she laughed. "Are we 'standing at attention'?"

"We are," he replied firmly as he locked his feet together. Rinoa did her best to look official. It always fell a little short, but as the man who walked behind Irvine came into focus, she felt her knees begin to wobble beneath her.

 _What is this I'm feeling?_

She tried to gain a hold of herself, but her knees continued to shake. She wasn't going to collapse, but she couldn't understand how, at the sight of this man, who was essentially a stranger, she suddenly had become so nervous.

Nida went and stood next to Quistis while the four SeeDs took to opposite sides of the walkway. Xu saluted Squall and the others, then turned to wait for the rest. Ellone and Zell came up next. They saluted them, and Squall looked at Ellone with a warm smile. She blushed. Looking upon her brother for the first time in almost a year, she saw the little boy she'd protected and the man he'd become all at once. Zell nudged Ellone, and they quickly scurried to the side. Ellone darted over to stand next to Quistis, and without prompt, quickly pulled her friend into a tight embrace. Quistis happily returned the gesture. Ellone wasn't one to act so impulsively; Quistis readily concluded she had seen the vision from earlier as well, and she was relieved to see her friend alive

"Hey...I missed you, too?" Quistis quipped, pretending not to know. Ellone pulled away and gave a nervous laugh before returning to attention. She probably would've given her that hug regardless at some point, but as Quistis had concluded, she was elated to see her friend was still alive.

Selphie skipped up the stairs with Irvine in tow. She promptly saluted, while he tipped his hat in place of a salute, as he was wontone to do.

"We have a lengthy report to give the Headmaster and Matron, but we'll have some time to catch up later. I think we're all aware of what's been going on though, right?" the sharpshooter asked in lieu of an actual greeting.

"You mean the Mimic?" clarified Squall. Irvine nodded, but before he could reply, Griever came up behind him and immediately locked eyes with Squall.

There were no salutes to be made, not now. Everyone stood in awe as the two men sized each other up from head to toe. Griever only stood a little bit taller than Squall, but he was far more muscular by comparison. Squall was lean, but by no means weak. Griever just had a chest as wide as Squall was a person. Their jackets seemed to clash, too. Squall's black bomber jacket showed his youth—that he still had a preference as to how he dressed—whereas Griever's jacket came across as regal, refined, and that he wore it out of a sense of duty and obligation. Squall bore his cuts and marks from the war, and the scar across his face was ever-present, adding an edge to him that overemphasized his already fierce demeanor. Griever's face on the other hand, while gruff and also bore the signs of aging through years of battle, lacked any features that particularly stood out for the exception of his smoky grey eyes. His facial expression came across as relaxed, calm, and confident; he didn't wear the look of a dutiful soldier, or in his case, a Knight, like Squall did. That quality about him was simply understated, and even while standing perfectly still, he exerted that very authority and clout.

Two very different men stood at the front gate, both unsure of what to make of their meeting, but still happy that they were having it. Seeing each other, at last, instilled comfort in them both, despite the tension between them. It didn't bear any hostility—there was just a force between the two of them that was palpable, and noticeable to even the four young SeeDs, who stared in awe as their Commander stood face-to-face with someone who appeared to be either his equal, or even superior.

Griever stood at attention and nodded to Squall. Squall's instinct was to salute the man, but instead he just returned the gesture. Griever looked over at Rinoa, who took in a quick breath when she noticed he'd turned his attention to her. He put his right arm across his torso, and bowed to her. Not sure what to make of this, she tried to hide her surprise and blush by covering the lower half of her face. When he rose, he turned to Irvine and nodded. Irvine gestured to Selphie, Xu, and Ellone, and the four of them gathered around Griever, guarding him on all sides. Squall, Rinoa, Quistis, and Nida stepped aside, and the five of them proceeded up toward the Garden.

Before leaving though, Griever turned toward Quistis. Instinct called for her to pull out Save The Queen, but her restraint allowed her to see what had drawn his attention. Griever wasn't so much looking at _her_ , but rather her bruises. There were scarce traces of magic behind each strike, and he could only assume who, or what, was responsible for it. While she had no confirmation as to any connection between him and Hesiod, the likelihood of them being linked didn't seem too farfetchd. Amidst her quickly passing thoughts, the Knight broke his gaze and coupled his hands together. A pale green light shot up from around him, and everyone, including Quistis, gasped as the sizeable stranger quickly cast a spell on her that no one had seen before.

Had she had the time to react, Quistis may've cast Reflect, but as willowing wisps of light fading from around her, the spell had not only healed, but removed any trace of her bruises. The Knight nodded to her, then turned back to Irvine and the others, signaling he was ready to move forward. Watching the group circle around him and then proceed forward, Quistis could see he'd garnered a lot of respect from her comrades. What's more, when he stopped to observe her bruises, he looked upon her as though she were a complete stranger.

 _He didn't recognize me at all...why?_

Once they were gone, everyone immediately ran to Quistis to see if she was okay.

"Quistis! What did he do?" asked Nida excitedly.

"I…my cheeks, my eye. He healed them, right? They don't feel swollen anymore," she replied.

"It's as if no one ever attacked you!" exclaimed Rinoa.

"Whoa, someone attacked you?! What the hell happened while I was gone?!" exclaimed Zell.

"Zell, we'll discuss it all during the meeting," said Squall firmly. Zell quickly collected himself and calmed down.

"Hey, what was up with your two's staring contest?" Zell asked the Commander. Squall shrugged, unable to come up with an answer to that.

"That bow…is that guy a knight in some king's court? You must've felt like a queen, Rinoa," remarked Nida.

She too was speechless. She went to take hold of the ring on her necklace, but then remembered it wasn't there. Instead, the Knight in _her_ court took hold of her hand again, and the feeling of the other's concern calmed them both down.

Rinoa looked up at her Knight for comfort, expecting him to be looking right back at her. Instead, Squall was gesturing over to an isolated spot by the front gate with his head to Zell.

 _Oh, great. Probably "official SeeD business."_

 _Hyne, I hate business…_

Squall turned to Rinoa to see her with a small frown on her face.

"I guess you know what I'm going to say?" he asked her.

Rinoa nodded, and then slowly curved her frown into a small smile.

 _Maybe he doesn't like it either…_

"It'll only be a minute," continued Squall. "We'll need to file a report on what happened after we split off from each other in Balamb. It'd be a good idea if we had a separate report aside for what The Mimic—"

"I know, I know," she interrupted semi-playfully. Squall looked at her apologetically, but she waved it off.

"Don't worry, I know you actually need to do this," she assured him.

The Commander's expression relaxed, and with that he leaned and quickly kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll make it up to you later," he said with a subtle smirk on his face.

Rinoa raised an eyebrow at Squall's attempt to be coy, and took his remark as a challenge.

"You better."

With that, Squall walked over to where he'd directed Zell to go. The martial artist had his back against the wall and his hands in his pockets; Squall could barely see the bandages on his hands.

"How'd that happen?" he asked, referencing Zell's hands.

Zell sighed, pulling his hands out of his pockets to look at them, slightly hoping they'd magically healed while he hid them.

"The Mimic had 'Return Damage' junctioned when I was fighting it. I went kind of ballistic; didn't realize I was cutting my hands up on every hit."

Squall looked down at Zell's left hand and saw that there was dried blood where his knuckles were. The bandages looked relatively new, meaning his injuries had yet to stop fully bleeding.

"That's an ability it could only obtain from a GF, though. It'd have to have refined countless items to make the necessary—"

"Yeah, that thing is like nothing we've fought before," interrupted Zell.

Squall looked down at the ground and slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Squall said quietly.

"Not your fault," replied Zell nonchalantly.

"No, I shouldn't have left you in Balamb. I could've gone with you."

Zell scoffed at the Commander's remark.

"Dude, you had your mind made up the minute you told me to call Garden. I can't be mad about what I've already accepted about you."

The Commander raised an eyebrow at his comrade, surprised to hear such a thoughtful, yet blunt point from him.

"…Then you know what I really need to talk to you about, then."

Zell nodded, ready for Squall to ask what was on everyone's mind.

"What do you know about him?" Squall began.

Zell took in a deep breath as he carefully thought out how to respond.

"He said you already knew he was coming," he said to the Commander.

Squall nodded in response.

"Ellone sent me back through the link on my way here. I saw him give my mother the ring. Don't ask me how, but I immediately knew he was the _real_ Griever."

"Yeah, we all kind of did…"

Squall drew pause at that statement, leaving the floor open for Zell to elaborate.

"I can't explain it; apparently we'd felt his presence before or something through the ring from all the time we'd known you, and then from…well, you know, the final fight."

Squall nodded in understanding, but sensed Zell was holding something back.

"So, you spoke to him at some length, then?" he asked.

"More like Ellone filled me in on some things about him. It's weird, but she seems to trust him. Also, he saved me from the Mimic; pulled me outta the fight before I completely tore my hands apart. They, uh, know each other…"

"What?!" Squall blurted out. It was a hushed outburst, but an outburst nonetheless. Everyone standing away from them turned to see why the Commander had jolted back the way he had.

"He's just kinda grossed out," yelled Zell to the group, lifting his hands up. Squall collected himself and moved himself right next to Zell.

"How?" he asked anxiously.

Zell was hesitant to answer. If anyone were to tell Squall of Griever's true identity, let alone his past, it should be Griever himself. Carefully, Zell divulged what little information he could without setting Squall off again.

"I actually don't know, to be honest. We didn't really get to that."

That only further frustrated Squall, and he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"But, I know that he's here to help you and Rinoa. Irvine, Selphie, and Ellone were practically buddy-buddy with him when I woke up on the ship."

"What about you?" asked Squall.

"What _about_ me?" replied Zell quickly, while also desperately trying to bide time so he could think up some more lies, or at least half-truths. The idea of staying honest with each other that Irvine laid out the day before had fallen to the side upon their guest's serendipitous arrival.

"Do you trust him?" Squall asked bluntly.

Zell swallowed nervously, while he thought of a way to say exactly how he felt about Griever—and Squall, for that matter.

"I know he's being honest. I just don't know what to expect when you two actually talk."

"Why's that?"

"Because I don't know what the hell to expect anymore, Squall!"

The crowd turned back to face them again as Zell broke out of their intense whisper. Squall quickly improvised, and grabbed Zell's arm to hold up to the others.

"He's just kind of in shock," he announced.

Zell angrily pulled his arm out of Squall's grip and put his hands back in his pocket. It marked the first time Squall had actually seen his friend genuinely angry with him.

"Get your own scapegoat, dude. My fists are all I've got."

 _Whoa…_

Squall slowly stood up off the wall and looked at his friend, unsure what to say.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Zell."

He meant it, but the young fighter's expression hadn't changed.

"After what we talked about, I feel like you're the only person I can talk to about this," the Commander continued.

"I think the big guy is gonna take over that position. You already know where I stand on this; these new developments haven't changed that."

Squall's mouth hung open, unable to respond to his friend's abrupt giving up on him. He defaulted to his old habits, and gazed blankly at Zell.

"I suppose that's that, then," he said quietly.

Just as the Commander began to walk away, Zell stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. For Zell, his action came as soon as he realized he might lose Squall after trying so hard to get him to open up to him. Squall on the other hand, saw it as an olive branch.

"Squall, he knows about everything that's been going on."

"Yeah, Cid and Matron both said—"

"No, Squall, he knows _everything_."

The Commander slowly turned back to confirm what Zell was implying.

"…The premonitions?"

Zell nodded.

"It's as if he saw them himself."

* * *

Cid opened the doors to his office and welcomed the five of them.

"Welcome back, all of you. I'm glad to see you're all safe and sound." The three SeeDs and Irvine saluted him, and Griever stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Cid, it's great to finally meet you."

Cid shook his hand and spoke as if he'd known Griever for some time.

"I hear your hair used to be quite…well, from the sounds of it, ridiculous," he joked. Griever laughed as they pulled their hands away.

"According to Selphie and Zell, it's still pretty bad. There must be someone who can tidy it up for me, right?" he asked.

"I can, Griever," offered Edea, stepping forward. "I used to cut the children's hair all the time. For the exception of Irvine, most of them have kept it the way I used to do it, so I think you'll like the cut I pick for you."

Griever stood at attention and delivered the same bow to Edea as he did to Rinoa just minutes ago.

"Lady Edea, it is an honor," he said as he took her hand. Edea slightly bowed her head as her smile curved up into her blush. Cid furrowed his brow and began tapping his foot.

"Have you come here to help us or just to make all of the other men look bad?" he joked.

Griever laughed again and stood up straight.

"Something I got into the habit of with…" He didn't need to finish that sentence, instead, he changed the direction he was going with it.

"It's customary for Knights to greet a Sorceress that way. I read so in one of the many books you have in Centra."

"Those books are largely based on mythos and lore from ancient times," commented Cid.

"Take my word, they're based on fact," the Knight replied. Cid nodded and walked around to his desk.

"Well, let's get this report underway, shall we? Xu, you'll be recording everything?"

"Yes, sir!" Xu sat at a chair adjacent Cid's desk and opened up her laptop. Selphie, Ellone, and Irvine walked to the center of the room and stood at attention.

"Selphie, why don't you and Ellone give the report? Irvine, feel free to chime in whenever you feel necessary."

"Yes, sir," the two ladies replied. Irvine just tipped his hat.

"I'll just sit down, if you don't mind," said Griever, taking to the couch and stretching his massive figure out over it. Irvine chuckled at his lax attitude now that he'd gotten the formalities out of the way. Selphie stepped forward and began her report.

"Okay, so, we were picked up by the White SeeD ship at 06:30. We discussed our contracts without breaching any personal information, and arrived at Centra within a few hours—much sooner than we expected."

Griever let out a loud yawn, trailing off at the end with deep purring sound.

"Manners, Grievy," Selphie reprimanded.

"Sorry, sorry," he replied.

What would've unnerved Irvine just the day before now rubbed him as one of his client's quirks.

 _That's definitely one way to think of them...quirks..._

"As I was saying, we rowed over to the beach from afar so as not to give ourselves away. We still weren't sure as to what we were walking into, since the report you gave us, along with your instructions, were soooo vague. We split up onto opposite sides of the beach, when Grievy, I mean, Griever, spotted us both, and asked us to come join him on the patio set-up for tea. We did not have tea. We talked about nothing of particular importance: music, the weather, etc., until I asked Griever a series of questions all at once, ranging from why his hair looked the way it did to who he actually was. He answered each and every single question, and on the second to last question, he revealed he was Ultimecia's former knight, at which point Irvine Kinneas promptly shot him in the face."

"YOU WHAT?!" screamed Edea and Cid simultaneously.

Oddly enough, Irvine didn't flinch, even at the sound of Matron scolding him.

"He was just doing what anyone would've," chimed in Griever.

"If it's any consolation, Zell tried to attack him, too," added Ellone.

"Tried is the keyword there," joked Irvine.

Cid slammed his hands down on his desk and shot out of his seat.

"What the hell is the matter with you all? Speaking of an attempt on our client's life as if it's all some sort of joke?!"

"Really, Cid, it's okay. They weren't briefed in the slightest of my true identity. If you had taken up the position of being a wartime knight like I had, you'd have your share of people shooting at you upon sight, too."

Griever made a good point, but Cid was still frustrated with hearing that his A-team, so to speak, had acted in such a manner.

"…We do still get the occasional death threat from a Galbadian or Timber civilian, Cid," added Edea, who'd grasped the concept much quicker than her husband.

"…Proceed," Cid muttered. With that, Selphie continued her report.

"So, after Griever's skin grew back and I threw up a little in my mouth , we discussed why he was here, as well as his history. We're still not entirely aware of the details of his past, but we learned enough to determine that he can be trusted. His goal here is to help Squall take care of Rinoa in the best way possible, as well as help them adjust to the realities of their future in the wake of the events over the past few months. From this, we deduced that he was an ally in full, and we boarded the White SeeD ship."

Ellone then stepped forward.

"Shortly after boarding, we began receiving reports there had been an attack on Balamb Harbor. Griever inquired about the attack, and after confirming it was the act of a Mimic known as Hesiod, he instructed us to go to Dollet where the creature had fled to, according to witnesses in Balamb. Zell Dincht went there as well, per our instructions. He did not abandon a ground zero; he was instructed by his fellow SeeDs to join us as we diverted from our mission to halt another possible attack. Once we arrived, Griever confronted the Mimic."

Cid held up his hand for Ellone to stop, and turned to address the Knight.

"What can you tell us about this thing?" he asked.

Griever held Cid's gaze for a moment as he pondered over how to explain exactly what Hesiod was. Irvine noticed that, while he wasn't wincing from any type of pain, his client was still having trouble putting together a cohesive answer. The odd behavior wasn't lost on Edea, either.

"Are you alright, Griever?" she asked, leaning forward to get a better look at him.

He shook his head, and stood up off the couch before running his jacket sleeve across his forehead.

"I'm fine…"

Catching the sharpshooter in her peripheral, Edea accepted his answer, as Irvine signaled for her not to press him any further.

"The creature's name is Hesiod, and it is a Mimic by design. It was once untapped energy sitting dormant inside of an ancient relic. I believe you know it as the Crystal Pillar."

Ellone was quick to jump into the conversation.

"The crystal inside Lunatic Pandora?!"

The Knight nodded, and continued.

"The crystal fell from the moon during the Lunar Cry that destroyed Centra thousands of years ago. When Adel tried to use it during her reign, she never fully succeeded in calling about another Lunar Cry. It wasn't until Seifer had the G-army excavate it and float it over Tears' Point that the crystal's energy was spent."

"But that didn't happen in your time, did it? That raw power went untapped for thousands of years," Ellone interjected again.

The Knight nodded once more, pleased that Ellone was able to piece together so much of what he said to the others. Without her, he'd run out of breath trying to explain everything on his own.

"So, the Mimic was inside?" asked Irvine.

"No, magic was inside. Ultimecia gave it life. We know Sorcery as living magic; power with the carnal instincts to survive at all costs. Hesiod is essentially sorcery that's become sentient."

There came a loud sigh from behind everyone, and the group turned to face Cid, who had his glasses off and was wiping the sweat away from his forehead.

"I don't want to come off as discouraging, but if it can imitate others to the point where it can downright take their form, I fear we may need to switch our priorities for the time—"

"No." The group turned back to Griever, whose flat-out rejection of Cid's plan had echoed throughout the office. Cid furrowed his brow at the Knight's discourteous interruption, and pressed him to elaborate.

"Well, now that you've scared the living daylights out of us, care to share your plan?" he asked facetiously.

"Our goal is to make sure Rinoa and Squall don't fall victim to the cycle that gives way for that kind of destruction. If their training is a success—and it will be—the remnants of Ultimecia's empire, and the needless bloodshed that led to its creation, will be destroyed by the ones destined to save us all. That aside, Hesiod is no one I can't fend off should it try to attack again."

"Than why didn't you kill it in Dollet?" Cid quickly retorted. Selphie, Ellone, Edea, Xu, and Irvine, backed up to opposite sides of the room to clear the way for the mounting tension between the Headmaster and Ultimecia's Knight.

"That's an awfully low blow from someone who failed miserably to stop, or even serve their Sorceress, Cid. Perhaps we should stay focused on the initial reason I came here so as not to be pulled down in the wake of our pasts."

As Cid rose up from his desk to verbally berate Griever, the last surviving Sorceress of old stepped into the middle of the room to end the Knight's quarrel.

"Enough!" Edea shouted. While her voice didn't boom as Griever's had, the impact it had was considerably larger. For Irvine, Selphie, and Ellone, they were about to witness their Matron scold the ever-loving crap out of two people for misbehaving. For Cid, he had unknowingly excluded Edea from a dialogue she had every right to be a part of, and was about to pay for it. And for Griever, he'd upset the one person who'd welcomed him back into this world after he'd committed atrocities fit for an execution.

Edea held the floor, and first leaned into Cid.

"Are you so dense that you'd speak to _him_ of all people about this matter so plainly? That any of this can be resolved with just an offhand decision to kill someone? Have you forgotten everything _we_ went through, trivial as it may seem compared to him?"

The Headmaster hung his head and covered his face, ashamed not because he'd been called out by his wife, but because he'd been gutted by her—rightfully so.

"And you!" she continued, turning to face the Knight. Griever held one arm across his midsection and awaited his punishment. Edea drew pause. The man who'd played such a massive role in his world's destruction stood solemn and still, not just ready, but _willing_ to be subjected to whatever Edea might say to him. He'd served someone so toxic; so ruthless, that he'd probably been subject to much worse than what she planned to say to him. She turned back to Ellone, who nodded as a gesture for her to continue. When Edea looked over at Irvine and Selphie, they encouraged her further.

 _Hyne...what horror has befallen you, Griever?_

Her sympathies aside, Edea maintained her fierce demeanor and proceeded.

"Can you _guarantee_ our children's safety?!"

Something clicked in Griever's mind at the sound of those words. Of the few memories he had, Edea's question brought to mind his conversation with Raine eighteen years ago, just before he gave her his ring. She took such a risk in trusting him, and even with everything he knew, a part of him still wasn't sure if it would all work out. Here he was after everything _had_ worked out as he hoped, and he was back to square one; looking a mother in the eyes and promising he could, and would protect their children.

"Yes," he responded simply. Edea nodded, and then addressed the two men together.

"Your hearts are in the right place, but don't forget where our priorities lie. These children have suffered immeasurably due to our actions and inactions alike. This isn't about us, it's about them. We mustn't stray from the path."

Ellone cupped her hands over her chest upon hearing her Matron, and tears began to well up in her eyes. She would've cried, if Selphie hadn't already thrown herself into Edea, already overwhelmed with emotion and having no intention of hiding it. A series of muffled "I love you"s brought a smile to the White SeeD Commander's face, and she locked eyes with Irvine, both sharing the sentiment that Selphie decreed into Edea's dress.

The sharp and precise banging on a keyboard brought everyone's attention over to Xu, who had been doing as she was instructed, and recording everything.

"That transcript is gonna read like a scene from a movie," joked Irvine. Exerting the last of her sniffles, Selphie wiped the last of her tears away and looked up at her Matron, who looked down at the little warrior with ever-loving eyes.

"Hey, when you said 'our children,' did you include Rinoa, too?" Selphie asked. Matron smiled warmly and nodded, prompting Selphie's eyes to immediately start watering again.

"So, she's part our orphanage gang now?" she squeaked.

Ellone couldn't help but laugh at how high Selphie's voice had risen.

"Sefie, Rinoa's been our friend for over a year now, what're you—"

Before Irvine could finish, Selphie sharply turned back to explain.

"But, now she's even _more_ like one of us! She's one of Matron's children, and, and—"

Edea was quick to pull her smallest child back into her arms, prompting Ellone and Irvine to join in on the hug. After navigating his way around Selphie's love fort, Cid walked up to Griever. He was smiling, in stark contrast to the ever-stoic expression the Knight wore.

"You see not only what's at stake here, but whom. My outburst was driven by desire to ensure more moments like this are to come." With that, Cid extended his hand to Griever, and the Knight shook it without hesitation. The Headmaster turned back to his wife and their children, and the four of them looked up to meet his gaze.

"Shall we go fetch the two at the heart of all of this?" he asked.

"Yes. I believe it's time Squall and Rinoa finally met with you, Griever," Edea replied, turning her attention to the silent Knight.

He could only nod, speechless from everything that transpired after Edea pulled rank as Matriarch of this makeshift family.

"We'll be back shortly," said Ellone, and she, Edea, Cid, and a still very emotional Selphie exited the office and entered the elevator. When the office doors closed, Irvine walked up to his client to see how he was processing everything.

"Well?" he asked with a smirk.

Griever finally found the ability to speak, and turned to his bodyguard utterly perplexed.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked.

Irvine laughed and patted the Knight heartily on the back.

"I'll explain it in detail later, but in short, you just saw our 'mom' be the best damn woman on the planet," he replied.

Griever feigned understanding, for what he'd really just seen was the woman he'd watched his wife control from afar as her true self. The idea that he'd stood idly by as someone so beloved, respected, and most importantly, deserving of such admiration, reaffirmed why he was here, and what he was fighting for.

 _I waged war for someone I loved…_

 _Had we known people like this, maybe we wouldn't have fallen so far..._

 _I'll spare them the ire of battle—I swear it._

* * *

A/N: Hey, look, more plot!

This chapter, along with the next two, are going to ensure that everyone in the group is more or less on the same page. A lot of crazy s #$ happened while the group was split up, so now that they're all together again, I'm making sure that they, as well everyone who's been so kind to read, has a fuller understanding of what's happening in the story, and how it's affecting everyone differently. As far as length goes, the next two chapters are shorter than this and the last one, so if you're not one for long reads, don't worry, we're getting back to time-efficient chapters shortly lol.

Special thanks to _Summoner Luna,_ _h34rt1lly_ , _siobhane,_ & _SilentStarlightSky_ , for your reviews! Next update will be in two-three weeks! Hope you liked it :D


	14. The Lion, The Witch & The Bigger Lion

**Chapter 13: The Lion, The Witch, and The Much Bigger Lion…**

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Rinoa still hadn't been able to get Squall to say much since he'd come back from his talk with Zell. They'd been sitting on one of the benches along the walkway, and Rinoa had passed up admiring many a passing butterfly to try and get him to open up. He was clearly upset, but more so, he was confused—conflicted even. A year ago, times like these would've caused him to isolate himself, and his scattered thoughts would run rampant through his head. Now, despite his silence, he had yet to let go of her hand since he'd come back to her. She figured she'd take a stab at trying to get him to talk again, as there were no signs that they were to go back into Garden anytime soon.

"You know, I don't think I've ever held your hand without one of us wearing the ring," she said with a smile. Squall nodded, but continued to avert his eyes.

 _Ugh, shouldn't I be able to, like, read his mind, or something? When is this "bond" thing gonna start paying off?_

The Commander continued to pensively stare out into space, until he, along with the rest of the group, heard two sets of footsteps coming down the walkway.

Selphie arrived first, her skips allowing her to make surprisingly long strides, and Ellone followed shortly after, what with her walking like a regular person. In the distance, Squall could see Edea and Cid slowly following behind them. They stopped at the entrance to the atrium and waited patiently. As Selphie's foot came down on the cement with her last step, she delivered her message.

"So, here's the deal. The Headmaster's gonna fill everyone in on what _exactly_ is going on," she stated. She then turned to Squall and Rinoa, who immediately felt like they'd been put under a spotlight.

"Matron is waiting for you two over there. Our guest wants to speak to you privately." Before either of them could react or respond, Ellone stepped in to elaborate.

"With Matron and Irvine present, of course."

The couple looked at each other, hoping the other would know what to say to calm the others' nerves. Now with the both of them at a loss for words, they could only comfort the other by holding the others hand tighter. Squall may've been oddly quiet since he'd spoken with Zell, but when he pulled Rinoa inward and laid his head against hers, his actions spoke louder than anything he could've said at that moment.

"Nida, you and the four SeeDs assigned to assist are dismissed," continued Selphie.

The Garden pilot nodded, and signaled to the other four SeeDs to follow him inside. Displeased with their looks of dissatisfaction, Quistis and Zell watched them leave.

"The hell is their problem?" asked Zell outright. Quistis quickly shushed him, and he folded his arms and looked away, not in the mood to be disciplined.

Ellone walked over to Squall and Rinoa and gently smiled at them.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" she asked them. Squall quickly looked up at her. The connection was instant, and Rinoa took in the look he used to make when he needed Ellone as a child. The difference now was that she was actually here, and he pulled himself right out of his shell and stood up. Rinoa would've been bothered by this had it been under different circumstances, but Ellone was practically Squall's long lost sister, and the only other person he'd ever _wanted_ to open up to. It helped that he hadn't let go of her hand the entire time, either.

"I'll walk you two to Matron. I'll answer whatever questions that I can on the way there."

"That you can?" asked Squall.

The Commander of the White SeeDs nodded, and then turned to Rinoa.

"How're you feeling, Rin?" she asked warmly.

Rinoa worked up a smile, albeit a nervous one, and slowly answered.

"Nervous. Like, really, really nervous," she replied.

Ellone smiled understandingly.

"You must be feeling the same way, right Squall?" asked Ellone.

There was nothing he could say that his body language didn't already convey.

"Come on," she said, gesturing toward the entrance. "I'll be back shortly, Selphie. Everyone, we'll get a chance to discuss everything in just a few minutes." Zell and Quistis nodded to their Sis, and the three of them made their way towards Edea.

Figuring this was his only chance to inquire further about Griever before actually speaking with him, Squall started the dialogue.

"Cid and Matron said he's here to help us. What do you think of that?" he asked Ellone.

"You saw him when I sent you back. Did you feel as shaken up then like you are now?" she asked.

Squall shook his head.

"No, but I've learned of a few things since then."

"Such as?" the Commander of the White SeeDs pressed. Rinoa was listening intently as Squall spoke with the only other person he trusted besides her. Seeing Ellone remain calm amidst all of this was a relief, but for all she knew she was just keeping up a professional façade. She did have the same title as Squall, after all, and amongst a much more secretive branch of SeeD, no less.

"He's…well, he's always been around, so to speak," replied Squall.

"That's true. Relatively, Griever has been present throughout your entire life, and therefore parts of ours as well."

"So, how much does he know?" interrupted Rinoa. Squall stopped walking and glared at Rinoa in a panic.

"Better to know now than to go in and be blindsided, right?" she asked in response to his reaction. Squall fought to subdue his worry, but there were things Rinoa didn't know that he couldn't tell her, let alone in front of Ellone, that he feared might trigger another episode. Having told Zell about her developing powers was at the top of that list, but the fact that Griever seemed to know all of it was a close second. One was a definite betrayal of trust, while the other could be interpreted as an invasion of privacy. Both were trouble.

Ellone's response seemed tailored to avoid setting off any alarms in Rinoa's head.

"We know about as much as you do. The only difference is that we've spent some time with him. He's a gentle giant, and he saved Zell from The Mimic while they were fighting. What we do know is that he's telling the truth; he wants to help you—all of us, for that matter."

Squall sensed she was still holding back, and carefully pressed for a little more information.

"But…" he said, leaving the floor open for her.

Ellone shook her head, refusing to elaborate.

"I can't tell you everything he told us. I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be right if it came from me. What I _can_ say is that his intentions are just. As far as the details go, you _must_ hear them from him. It's the only way it'll make any sense to you."

Rinoa had been standing beside Squall as he carried on with Ellone, getting nowhere with his approach. Sick of hearing the two of them talk about a situation that involved Squall _and_ herself, she stepped into the fray.

"Ellone, forget about what that man might or might not know; what do _you_ know about what's been going on?"

Her straightforward approach wasn't out of character, but it was unexpected amidst everyone else's tiptoeing around saying what was really on their mind. Squall saw potential for a problem far worse than this man's intentions, but Ellone, though uncomfortable, admired Rinoa's moxie.

"I know he's here to help both of you. That's all I've been told," she replied.

"Ellone, please don't lie to us," Rinoa insisted.

"Rin!" exclaimed Squall. He wasn't clear if he was defending his sister from his girlfriend, or criticizing Rinoa's approach, but what was clear was that neither woman was concerned with what he had to say right now.

"I'm not lying, Rinoa. We weren't told any details about what's been happening."

Rinoa looked at the White SeeD Commander expectantly, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her foot as she waited for an answer. Ellone received the message full and well.

"…If I had to guess though, you've been struggling with your powers lately, no?"

"Sis!" exclaimed Squall.

"Be quiet!" both girls yelled back at him.

The two turned back to face each other once more and Rinoa, for the first time, owned up to what had been plaguing her for the past few months.

"Yes…I…I can't control them..." Though she trailed off at the end of her reply, she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders in her being open and honest about it for the first time to anyone other than Squall or Edea. Ellone nodded sympathetically, and reached out for Rinoa's shoulder.

"Then us going back and forth like this won't get you any closer to fixing that. You need to speak with him, Rinoa. You too, Squall."

Rinoa put her hand on top of Ellone's, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. The White SeeD Commander pulled her in and hugged her tightly, telling the young Sorceress that she was in her corner.

"I wouldn't have brought him here if I thought you two would be in danger," Ellone whispered softly into Rinoa's ear.

Squall looked on from just a few feet away, but turned his attention to his side when he heard the clicking of his Matron's heels on the pavement coming closer. His anxiety was building with every passing second, but seeing Rinoa open up to someone allowed him to keep it in check. Edea proceeded to move the conversation forward.

"Squall, Rinoa, may I ask you two something?" Edea asked quietly. Squall was already attentively listening; she was his Matron after all. Rinoa looked up at the woman who she had been avoiding for the better part of the time since her last incident, and nodded after wiping away the last of her tears.

"Can either of you tell me what it would take for you to _not_ want to speak to that man?"

The couple stood speechless, and Edea smiled at their dumbfounded expressions. When they still didn't respond after a few seconds, she continued.

"Come with me, then. Whatever happens upstairs, Irvine and I will be there with you. At the first sign of trouble, you can rest assured that your friends will rush in through those office doors to help you.

"You're not alone. However, it's time for _both of you_ to confront this problem. This man is here to help. Just take that first step inside and hear him out; that's all we're asking."

Rinoa felt a gloved hand entwine itself with hers. She turned back, and saw a worried, but ready and willing Squall looking back at her.

"Do you want to do this?" he asked her quietly. She looked back at him confused. Was this suddenly her call, and hers alone?

"If I don't?" she asked.

"Then we don't," he replied. Rinoa now looked back at him slightly irritated.

"But, what about all of the questions you have? What about the things _you_ wanted to find out about?"

Squall shook his head.

"You come first," he replied in a hushed tone. Ellone and Edea pretended not to have heard him, but Ellone's white suit and Edea's black dress did little to hide their blush from Squall's sentiment. Rinoa, on the other hand, wasn't trying to hide it at all. She smiled from ear to ear, and then, as though Squall had flipped a switch inside of her, she turned around to face Edea.

"Ok, we're going! Squall has a lot of questions."

There was no need for any further exchange. The three of them said goodbye to Ellone—Rinoa with a rather loving hug—and then took their first steps to where destiny bid them.

* * *

Griever looked over at the clock on Cid's desk. It'd been half an hour since they'd all left to fetch Squall and Rinoa, and he grabbed the first thing he could to drink and try and calm himself down. Had he known coffee wasn't the ideal choice for that, he may've been less concerned with how his hands had begun to shake. He was stirring his third cup, despite it having no milk, cream, or sugar in it, causing Irvine to laugh.

"What?" Griever asked.

"You nervous?" the sharpshooter asked back. Griever looked away and returned promptly to where he had been sitting on the couch.

"They're just taking a while is all. I wonder if one of them has cold feet."

"I thought you made a pretty good first impression outside. You know, as far as meeting people and not saying one word goes," Irvine joked.

Griever shook his head and sighed.

"Is it weird that I was caught off guard by someone I've essentially known their whole life?" Griever asked his bodyguard.

Irvine shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's it? Just a shrug?"

"Squall's not what you'd call laid back. You just so happen to have met him in person while he and Rinoa are dealing with—well, you actually already know what they're dealing with."

"All too well, I'm afraid," Griever quickly added.

Irvine looked away and pulled his hat a little further down over his eyes to keep the Knight from seeing his discomfort.

"You're about to hear me talk an awful lot about that; more so than I did back at the orphanage. Are you going to be ok?" Griever asked Irvine. The sharpshooter nodded, but let out a reluctant sigh.

"Sorry. I managed to go almost a whole year without thinking about anything involving the end of the world. When you're a part of the group that saves it, it's kind of the last thing you want to hear about."

Irvine walked over to where Griever was sitting and pulled up an adjacent chair.

"But, don't worry. I'm in this all the way, contract or not. For you, for my friends…for all of us." Irvine held out his fist to Griever, but the Knight only proceeded studied it, lost as to what he meant by this gesture. Irvine realized why his client looked so puzzled and laughed again before explaining.

"So, when someone makes a fist and puts it out to you like this, you make a fist too, and then lightly tap theirs. It's called a fist bump." Griever slowly made a fist, and then lightly tapped Irvine's hand with his.

"Like that?"

Irvine laughed once more.

"We'll work on it," he replied.

Griever was lost as to the significance of the "fist bump," but he wasn't particularly concerned with it, either. He looked over at Cid's desk to see Xu typing away on her laptop, and drew pause over how the girl had yet to say a word since Cid and the others had left the room.

"Have you been writing all of this down?" Griever asked her. The high-ranking SeeD snapped out of her trance and looked up from her computer. She glanced back and forth between the open document on her computer and Griever's puzzled gaze.

"You _did_ ask me to record everything that goes on today, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes, but not this. Strike from the record that I ever had to learn about a…fist pump…"

"It's 'fist _bump_ '," corrected Irvine. Griever rolled his eyes, and to his dismay, heard Xu's fingers rolling about on keyboard once more.

"Are you writing _this_ down, too?" he asked again. Xu began growing frustrated with Garden's distinguished guest.

"You asked me to record _everything_ ," she stated again.

Before Griever had the chance to respond, the office doors opened, and Edea stepped inside.

"Whoo! Just in time!" hollered Irvine. He got up from his chair and offered his seat to Edea.

"It's smack dab in the middle. If anyone should be officiating this, it's you, Matron."

Edea nodded graciously. She turned back and gestured for the young couple behind her to enter the room.

"I believe you all know each other in one way or another, but, Griever, this is Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly. Squall, Rinoa, _this_ is Griever."

Rinoa was the first to walk through the door, her right arm behind her as she pulled someone into the room. Griever remained seated, and observed the spectacle of her cutely arguing with whom he assumed was Squall. Though their short back-and-forth was spoken in whispers, he could make out the occasional "what're you waiting for?" as well as "don't rush me!"

Sick of waiting for her man, Rinoa rolled her eyes and let go of his hand. She walked over to Griever and extended her hand with a gentle smile.

"Hi, I'm Rinoa. Nice to finally meet you."

The Knight immediately stood up off the couch and went to bow, but before he could put his arm across his chest, she took hold of his hand and forced him to move it up and down. Taking part in the world's most awkward, not to mention forced handshake, Griever looked at the young Sorceress absolutely stunned.

 _She's…_

Nothing came to mind to describe the woman he'd only seen through Junction Machine Ellone. Sensing he'd been silent for too long, he forced himself to say something, anything.

"…It's an honor, Lady Rinoa." Impressed, Rinoa nodded in approval, and then walked over to the door to address the person still standing outside.

"Ok, it's your turn." She stepped aside, and Griever took in the sight of this generation's Knight once again. Upon meeting each others' eyes, their anxiety disappeared, and the two resumed sizing each other up as they had at the front gate—for a moment, anyway.

"Oh no, not again. Someone say something! Squall, say hi to the giant man," Rinoa instructed.

Thoroughly embarrassed, but incapable of actually saying anything by his own accord, Squall was the first to stand down of the two, and he spoke the first words they would ever exchange.

"…Nice haircut."

"Squall!" yelled Rinoa and Edea at the same time.

Standing next to Xu, Irvine was hiding his face under his hat to conceal his laughter. The humor in Squall's comment wasn't lost on Griever either, and he gave a small chuckle with a smirk.

"…Thanks," he replied simply.

Unwilling to allow the two of them to carry on this way, Rinoa threw her arms up in the air, and began pulling Squall over to the couch directly across from where Griever stood. He fidgeted so that she would let go of him—it's not like he was a toddler—and sat down, much to Rinoa's satisfaction.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. Squall nodded, now averting Griever's eyes as opposed to before.

Equally uncomfortable, Griever sat down and cautiously watched the two of them.

"Well, now _you're_ the only one who's standing," Squall dryly jested to Rinoa. She promptly plopped down on the couch next to him, playfully nudging him in the side.

Squall knew he'd never hear the end of this encounter from her. She'd hang how he was so nervous to enter the room over his head forever. But, she'd be doing it while nestling into his chest and playfully poking at him all the while. She'd have her confident—but also slightly mischievous—grin on her face, and he'd love every second of it. He would've never been able to look back at this moment fondly, had she not been with him. Still tense as all hell, the thought brought a cool sense of calm to him, and the knots in his stomach, as well as every other muscle in his body, loosened up.

The Knight took in the sight of the two, and for just a second, felt a longing for what they had. The feeling came and went with a thousand images and words from his time spent with the woman he'd loved. Hiding the subsequent winces that followed these occurrences, every single memory fell away from him right after they flashed in his mind. Once again, he was left knowing he'd seen _something_ , but was incapable of recalling any of the details. Nevertheless, his goal was to prevent what happened to Ultimecia and he from happening to the very couple that had brought those memories about in the first place; the sight of their love for the other strengthened his resolve tenfold.

Returning to the present, the Knight leaned forward and addressed the two of them.

"Perhaps we should get started. It seems like you're not one to waste time, Rinoa," he said, turning his attention to the young Sorceress. Acting as Squall's chaperone had allowed her to bring the two of them together. Now that the spotlight had been extended to her, she found herself just as anxious as her Knight.

 _Come on, Ellone said she wouldn't have brought him here if he was a threat. Get it together, Rinoa!_

"Well, I...um, I just know this is important. What we're doing, I mean; you know, meeting and everything." She may've been tripping over every word, but it was more than Squall had yet to say.

"Yes, 'important' is definitely one of the words I would use to describe our meeting," replied Griever. The Knight turned to face both of them, and proposed a way for them to begin.

"First, do you have any questions for _me_? I know there are some details as to our history that could use some…clarifying."

Squall leaned forward and finally looked up to meet Griever's eyes.

"You seem to know a lot about us. From what I understand, you've sort of been around my entire life via the ring. Have you been watching me?" he asked.

Griever shifted uncomfortably in his seat before answering Squall's rather loaded question.

"Through the ring, I've only sensed your presence, as you have mine. Subtly, almost on a subconscious level we were—excuse me, we _are_ , connected. Except right now, of course." Griever motioned to Squall's hand, and Squall looked down at the empty space his ring had occupied only a day ago—right before the Mimic attacked Balamb.

"So, everywhere I've ever gone when wearing the ring, you've been 'present'?" Squall asked, eliciting a nod from Griever.

"It's the reason why every one of you feels like they know me from somewhere, other than from the monster you fought alongside Ultimecia."

Rinoa shuddered at the memory of their final battle.

The monster she summoned was an awful sight; a black gryphon adorned with sharp red ligaments along its arms and shoulders, and a menacing roar that accompanied its every attack. It was at Ultimecia's every whim, but upon Squall seeing this man, he'd made the strange claim that this was the _real_ Griever. If the monster they'd known as Griever was drawn from Squall's mind like they had once believed, what did that make _this_ Griever?

"I have a question," she said as she moved in a little closer to Squall. The Commander sensed she was leaning on him for support, and softly placed his hand on her knee. Griever turned his attention to Rinoa, and gestured for her to speak.

"Your ring has the same face as the monster we fought in the future—"

" _Almost_ the same face," the Knight interrupted. Rinoa was taken aback by the unexpected interjection. That raised another question, one she feared she already knew the answer to.

"So, the monster we fought in the future isn't _really_ the Griever we know of from the ring, is it?" she asked.

The Knight shook his head solemnly, clearing his throat as he braced himself for what may come after he answered.

"The monster you fought was a combination of what Squall thought it _might_ look like, and of what Ultimecia could remember."

"What she could remember?" asked Squall, while at the same time, Rinoa pressed, "What exactly was it that she was remembering?"

The Knight closed his eyes, taking in one last deep breath before continuing.

"By that point, I imagine she was even more far-gone than from when I had fled the castle."

The couple looked back at him in genuine fear. They didn't exactly sense danger, but the odd force the man emitted, the one so familiar to them, was starting to resonate differently than it had before. They had been confused by it at first because they didn't understand it. Now, they were trapped in a room with someone they feared they understood all too well.

"To go back to your question from before, Squall, I never 'watched' you through the ring. Through Junction Machine Ellone, however, I saw glimpses of you and the others interspersed with whatever Ultimecia was manipulating Edea into doing."

Squall shot up from the couch and reached his hand down his side to unsheathe Lionheart.

"You _served_ Ultimecia?" he asked, his tone cold; unforgiving for the acts that he suspected Griever had been privy to.

"That's one way of putting it," the Knight replied matter-of-factly.

Lionheart was drawn, and Squall held it out in front of him—guarded, ready to strike.

"Squall, don't!" Edea exclaimed.

"What were you to her?" he demanded, ignoring his Matron's plea. Edea rose out of her seat, but Rinoa quickly stood up in front of her and blocked her path.

"Oh boy…" muttered Irvine under his breath. No one had been paying any attention to the sharpshooter amidst their conversations, so when he moved out from behind Cid's desk, Rinoa and Edea turned and stared at him, both anticipating his next move.

"Matron, I recommend you just let _this_ play out. And, Rinoa…" Irvine drew a blank as what to say to the Sorceress. He shook his head solemnly and gave the only answer he could think of.

"…Do you what you think is right, I suppose," he finished. Edea ran over and grabbed Irvine by the collar of his jacket.

"You're supposed to be—" Irvine quickly shushed Edea, nervous as to what would happen if she revealed anything before Griever could say what needed to be said.

"Please, just stand over here. This _has_ to happen," he whispered to her.

Before Edea had time to process Irvine's odd request, Griever stood up from the couch and now faced Squall directly. He stood so Lionheart's tip was now about an inch away from his face. It wasn't so much a challenge as much as a bold statement: this man was not afraid.

"I was to Ultimecia what you are to Rinoa. I was her protector, her lover; I was her Knight."

A battle simulation quickly ran through Squall's mind. Together, with Rinoa and Irvine, they could've moved in and killed him outright. The others would come up as soon as they heard all of the commotion, and they would finish off the last of Ultimecia's court.

But, when he turned to Rinoa, her hands were cupped over her mouth, and her eyes were full of nothing but empathy for him rather than hatred. Upon quick reflection, Squall realized he'd drawn his weapon on the only person who may truly understand what they were going through. His gaze fixated on Ultimecia's Knight, he slowly sheathed Lionheart.

"…You fled?" Squall asked warily.

Griever nodded.

"At the exact moment Edea passed her powers onto Rinoa. When Ultimecia planned on using her to continue her campaign on the past, something inside of me snapped." The Knight slowly sat back down on the couch, and motioned for his would-be apprentice to do the same. Squall didn't budge, but upon feeling Rinoa's pulling at his jacket, he relented, and lowered himself onto the cushion beside her.

"Well, we're listening," the Commander stated sternly. Griever nodded in thanks and began to explain his story for the umpteenth time.

"I was Ultimecia's Knight for hundreds of years before you traveled to the future to defeat her. At first we lived in peace, albeit in isolation for fear SeeD would seek us out and kill us both. Rather than fight, we elected to go into hiding. We only needed each other; we'd find a way to make it work."

That sentiment resonated all too well with the young couple. Worried for the other, but also trying to block out the idea that they may have something in common with the woman who tried to erase all of existence, they entwined their hands and held the other's tightly, prepared to hear whatever else Griever had to say.

"I want to say we lived ten years in peace on the Cape of Good Hope, before SeeD ultimately found us. Her powers grew over time, and in turn I had developed some myself. Spending every waking second together with such power at our disposal made for a life no normal person could ever comprehend. We immersed ourselves in ancient Sorceress lore, and took strongly to the writings regarding the duties a Knight has to the one they swore to protect forever."

Griever cleared his throat nervously before continuing. Whatever he was about to say, the two of them could tell he was clearly uncomfortable with it.

"Then came the _other_ way we changed. Consumed by magic—no, Sorcery—we adopted alternate personas that were fitting for…beings like us. I won't say people, because by that point, we were hardly human anymore. Ultimecia grew black wings, and her hands and feet stretched out and took on the appearance of talons and claws, like those you'd see on a crow. To best serve her…I asked her to change me so that I could become the beast I envisioned as the true embodiment of pride and strength; that could defend her without fail. In the years to come SeeD eventually found us, and that beast did exactly what it was created to do."

Griever took a moment to let the two of them process everything he'd just said, hoping they were seeing that his and Ultimecia's actions were all too likely an outcome for the two of them if they stayed on the road they were currently on.

Squall and Rinoa had both received the message he'd hoped for, but differently. Rinoa clearly saw the parallels. While her visions didn't mirror any of what Griever had described, he claimed his life with Ultimecia spanned over hundreds of years; the two visions she'd seen could've been one of many instances of her exerting that kind of power. Squall, on the other hand, had heard Griever only confirm what he had already resigned himself to; living his life for Rinoa, and doing everything and _anything_ to best serve her.

The Knight looked over at Irvine and Edea to gauge their reactions to everything that had just taken place. Irvine was calm, as he expected, seeing as how this was the third time he'd witnessed Griever tell someone who he was, and nearly get killed over it. Edea, on the other hand, looked at Squall in staunch disapproval of his actions. The Commander hadn't seemed to notice yet, still deep in thought alongside Rinoa, and Griever seized the opportunity to calm Edea's temper.

"Easy. Cowboy over here actually pulled the trigger, remember?" he whispered to Edea. Not looking the least bit calmer, the former Sorceress turned her glare to Griever, who could only shake his head at how he seemed to be stuck in making progress with the meeting. Now that the room was quiet, the sound of Xu's keyboard stood out once more, and Griever quickly turned his attention to that.

"Um, maybe strike that part from the record?" he suggested to her.

"You asked me to—" Griever waved her off and turned back towards the couch. Clearly, every little detail of what was to take place would be well documented.

Squall realized that Griever and Edea had been whispering back and forth to each other, and then looked over to Cid's desk to see Xu typing furiously behind it.

"Wait a minute. What the hell is Xu doing here?" the Commander posed to the room. Rinoa came out of her train of thought and looked around as well, feeling as embarrassed as Squall was angry.

"Huh? Xu? Have you been here this whole time?" she asked.

Xu, while continuing to type, sighed at everyone's acknowledging her presence.

"I asked her to stay and record everything discussed at the meeting. It seems though, that she's been recording _every_ _little thing_ that's happened since she sat down behind the desk," Griever answered for her. Xu shrugged at the irritation in the Knight's voice, continuing to type away. The young couple, baffled by the abrupt change of pace, turned to Griever, frustrated over how they'd only become _more_ confused about everything since they'd first sat down.

"Ok, what the hell is going on?! First, Cid sends Irvine and Selphie on a mission with the White SeeDs to pick you up from Centra without my input! Then, some monster out of a fairy tale waltzes into our lives and tries to upend it from inside our own home! Now, it turns out that my ring, the only memento I have left over from my mother, was a gift from _Ultimecia's Knight_!

"No one ever mentioned you during the war, not once. Now, it turns out that you've been watching me my _whole life_?! Is that how you knew Rinoa and I were—"

"Everyone except for Squall and Rinoa, leave the room," Griever interrupted. Irvine, Edea, and Xu looked up and saw Griever was staring at Squall dead on, his eyes narrowed, displeased with the young Knight's rant. Rinoa's fists were clenched at her sides. She was doing everything in her power not to snap like her Knight, but the growing ambiguity as to why this man was truly here, let alone his true identity, was eating at her like no other. Her patience waned with each passing second and the three of them, as well as Griever, picked up on it.

"Now!" the Knight shouted. With the same voice that boomed just a short time before, Irvine, Edea, and Xu quickly got up from their seats and exited the room. Even Squall and Rinoa were taken aback by the power and authority in his tone and began to think maybe it'd be in their best interest if they tread lighter.

Griever closed his eyes and shook his head. When he sighed, a low register growling came from within his chest. The young couple had no idea what to make of the unexpected sound of a _lion_ coming from this man, but when opened his eyes and looked back at them, their thoughts on it were irrelevant.

"Wait for it," he said, eyeing the door.

There was a beat of silence, until the three of them heard the cocking of Exeter from the other side of the door. Griever nodded in approval, and then addressed the young couple once more.

"Seems like I picked the right man to be my bodyguard," he commented as he sat back down. He gestured for the awestruck couple to sit as well, and they slowly lowered themselves back into their seats before he tried to talk sense to them once more. Neither of them paid thought as to _why_ Irvine would feel the need to load Exeter; Squall actually took comfort in it, oddly enough.

 _The rest of them will hear that gunshot, and then we'll take him on all at once if we have to..._

"I wanted everything said here at the meeting to be recorded for future generations to have as a reference. When the next Sorceress appears in however many decades, I want the people of the future to look to what happened on _this_ day for answers on what to do."

... _Or not_

Briefly bound by silence, Rinoa was the first to find the strength to speak.

"What is it you were planning on accomplishing here today?" she asked. Transitioning from his head back to the office, Squall leaned forward and piggybacked on her question.

"What is it you're planning on accomplishing here _at all_?"

Griever leaned back on the couch and let out a deep breath, once more accompanied by the strange low growling the two had heard before.

"Also…what's _that_?" Squall added.

The Knight looked over to Balamb Garden's Commander and elicited a small chuckle.

"The embodiment of pride and strength," he replied.

 _So he_ is _the real Griever…_

For some reason, despite how the sound reminded him of the monster he'd fought a year ago, it assured Squall that there was some semblance of truth to this man's claims. Despite a laundry list of things he still wasn't clear on, not to mention angry about, having his skepticism of the GF Ultimecia had summoned confirmed reaffirmed what he had always believed.

"To best answer your question Rinoa, I would like to continue talking about my late wife. Is that okay with both of you?"

She nodded, though the way he spoke of Ultimecia so casually still bothered her. She was the woman he'd supposedly loved, but apparently he'd been the catalyst for their defeating her. How much was there to her that they didn't know before?

 _Did a part of him know it was inevitable?_

 _Did he leave it in our hands because he couldn't come to terms with it and do it himself?_

Rinoa looked out of the corner of her eye at _her_ Knight, and began to ponder what he'd do.

 _The man Squall becomes in those premonitions...the woman I become...I wouldn't blame anyone for leaving me—betraying me, even._

 _...Would you betray me, Squall?_

Not once during the meeting had either of them let go of the others hand. In short intervals, one would always intensify the grip on the others, but right before Rinoa could squeeze his in hopes of finding reassurance he wouldn't leave her, he squeezed hers first. He didn't break eye contact with Griever—he was as focused as ever. But, what he hoped to learn here, and whatever was to come from their meeting with the Knight, he would only use to further protect her.

 _...No, of course you wouldn't._

 _I wouldn't leave you either, never..._

Rinoa leaned to her side and laid her head on Squall's shoulder.

Griever took note of the subtle, unspoken gestures the two had just exchanged. Figuring acknowledging it might ruin the significance of it for them, he continued speaking.

"The passing of time was not something we concerned ourselves with. However, when the world had become ours and ours alone, we grew bored. Save for pockets of people who lived in the shadowy depths beneath our castle, we would wander through the vast emptiness that became our world. We found ourselves longing for a time that neither of us could really remember. Perhaps memories of our lives before everything changed were hidden away deep inside our minds; I couldn't tell you.

"I didn't know why she wanted to at first, but when we discovered the blueprints for Junction Machine Ellone in the ruins of Esthar, Ultimecia wanted to use it to access the past. After we built it, I was further confused when she took possession of Edea. She said it was temporary, that we needed a means of seeing the past, and this woman had dormant sorceress powers that we could use to our advantage.

"After she became the ambassador of Galbadia, I got the idea that we could use her influence to bring about an era where people lived side by side with the Sorceress, as opposed to in fear of, or in pursuit of her. Ultimecia said she agreed, and I believed her. Atrocity after atrocity, I stayed by her side, thinking 'Of course there would be some casualties along the way. This was never going to be easy'. It wasn't until Edea's powers transferred over to you, Rinoa, that I realized Ultimecia wasn't fighting a war for the hope I thought we shared.

"Edea and you were puppets to her; just things to be cast aside. She revealed her true intentions of finding Ellone, and that she was going to use you to convince the others to have Balamb Garden continue the search for her after G-Garden's defeat, only now she'd have Squall and the others at her disposal. Ellone would be found, and then…well, you know how things would've turned out.

"So, I fled. I didn't have the courage to actually go through with killing my own wife, and so I bought time, for both you and myself, by causing as much havoc within the castle as possible, fighting her servants one by one, driving her mad however possible.

"That coma you were in? It was because Ultimecia was too distracted in trying to stop me. Whether she was going to rein me back in or kill me outright, I'll never know.

 _Hyne, that coma…_

Squall looked over to his left to see the woman who he'd carried on his back to Esthar and back with. He moved just a little closer to her, positioning his shoulder to it'd be a little more comfortable for her to lay her head on. Her nestling into the crease between his neck and shoulder was the very reason he'd traveled so far to bring her back. Forget the war, the saving of the world, he'd just wanted to save _her_.

 _...And, I have him to thank, it seems_

"This went on for quite some time. After who knows how long, three pillars rose out of the ground high into the sky. Two groups of three wandered across one of the giant chains that suspended our castle in the air. I climbed up to see what was happening, and when I saw the six of you, I realized that, somehow, time compression had already begun, but you'd managed to travel to the future to fight and defeat her once and for all.

"When I saw you all, realizing you had managed to overcome the nightmare she, and I to a certain degree, had put you through, I knew you were the ones meant to defeat her. Your willpower, courage, and friendship had brought you that far, but I had to ensure you would emerge victorious. And so, through a door atop one of the massive pillars, I leapt into the ether of space-time, and went looking for your leader."

The Knight stopped and turned to Squall, his blank expression changing to one of pride upon meeting the Commander's piercing blue eyes with his faded gray ones. Rinoa looked back and forth between the two, not sure what to make of their silence.

"I know it might not be appropriate, but…someone say something!" she exclaimed. Both Squall and Griever flinched at her demand, and Squall was the first to acquiesce.

"To give me the ring?" he asked, feeling rushed by his other half.

"So that you would have a semblance of my power, yes," replied Griever. Squall looked back skeptically upon hearing his response.

"I don't know how much you actually saw of me fighting, but ring or no ring, I trained myself," the Commander replied.

"The way you fought before and after having my ring was the same, sure. But, developing the Renzokuken and your various finishers? The only reason you had any inkling as how to go about constructing each attack was because _I_ invented them first. Those techniques were transmitted over to you, slowly but surely, through the ring."

Squall's mouth hung open while memories of him developing his techniques as an aspiring cadet, all the way through the war, flashed across his mind. The aerial element of Rough Divide, the channeling and then releasing of energy with Fated Circle and Blasting Zone, all the way to the guided chain of attacks with Lionheart; Squall had developed each one with the idea of "The Griever," in the back of his mind. It drove him, inspired him, and protected him. The strength he found in being a lone wolf before meeting Rinoa came from a confidence he attributed to the beast by his side. When he looked down at his ringless hand, he felt a vulnerability he hadn't felt since…

"Sis…" he murmured to himself.

Rinoa reached out and turned his head toward her. She saw the heartbreak in his eyes, one that she had only seen when he opened up about how he'd felt when Ellone seemingly vanished from the orphanage.

"Ellone?" the young Sorceress asked.

Squall nodded and cleared his throat as he prepared to speak.

"I looked to the ring for strength after Estharian soldiers came and took her away. She and Matron said it was a memento from my mom…I forgot all about that once I came to Garden and started using GF's, though."

He turned away from Rinoa and back towards the Knight, his skepticism gone, and a newfound gratitude in its place.

"You gave me that. Without that ring, I would've been—

"You would've been fine, actually," interrupted Griever. Squall wasn't sure what to make of his response, and the Knight took advantage of his silence.

"I told you that you made it to the future without my help, remember? The ring was just my way of ensuring you'd come back. I didn't think it'd become so relevant in other parts of your life…but, it seems to have all been for the best."

Rinoa felt a warm sensation within her upon hearing that. She thought of how Zell had made a duplicate of that very ring for her to have, and how much it meant to her. She wore it on her necklace, but what it symbolized, both as a symbol of power, and as a symbol of hers and Squall's devotion to the other, was ever present.

"Why did you give it to Raine, though?" asked Squall. Rinoa quickly raised her hand so that she could answer. The two men turned to her and saw her grinning, unsure what to expect from the suddenly very enthusiastic girl.

"Because it takes forever to get anything through that thick head of yours. Seventeen years was probably _just_ enough time for the ring to do its job," she joked. Griever turned away to keep them from seeing his laughing, while Squall narrowed his eyes in jest.

"I'm _sure_ that's not the reason, Rin. We're trying to—

"It's the reason, Squall," interrupted Griever once more. "You were wound up pretty tight. I didn't think I could outright give you the ring. The young man I saw in the past wouldn't have given me the time of day." Rinoa's grin turned into a cocky smirk and Squall sighed, shaking his head as he leaned back into the couch.

 _This would drive me nuts if it were anyone else. I hate it when people think they've got me "figured out."_

 _Then again, if anyone had to make that claim, she's the only one that could._

Squall looked at Griever as he turned back, his face tense from forcing himself to keep a straight face.

 _I guess him, too._

 _So, this is happening, then…_

"Please don't tell me the person who's going to help us will join in when everyone starts picking on me," said Squall dryly. Rinoa took hold of his arm and made an exaggerated pout at her Knight while rubbing it tenderly.

"Aw, did I hurt the Commanders feelings again?"

 _Hyne, she's not going to stop._

The Knight rose from the couch and stood up straight.

"I won't join in. I don't think I can stop anyone else, though." The Knight extended his hand towards his protégé, and pulled him up from the couch.

 _Crap, he's as strong as he looks._

Rinoa stood up and seemed to be slightly bouncing up and down on her heels.

"You seem happy," remarked Griever.

Rinoa excitedly nodded.

"I am. You're our friend, you're on our side."

"Rin, don't get—

Squall was interrupted yet again when Rinoa ran over to the other couch and gave Griever a hug. The Knight froze, his arms out at his sides, unsure what to do.

"Um…like this," The Commander motioned his arms into looking like he was hugging someone, and Griever rolled his eyes.

"I know how to give someone a hug, Squall." Rinoa pulled away from the large man and, for a moment, marveled at his size.

"You know, we knew you were huge, but I could barely get my arms around you. That coats not just a little baggy, huh?" she asked.

The Knight shook his head.

"Tailored to fit my every move, actually," he replied.

"Combat clothing made to look like a trench coat?" asked Squall.

"Essentially," the Knight confirmed.

Griever then gestured for Rinoa to go back to her original seat. His expression had changed from looking like he was enjoying himself to very serious in an instant. Confused, and a little disappointed, she ambled back over to the couch and sat back down. Squall quickly joined her, and Griever sat and leaned forward.

"One last thing," he said.

The two of them were all ears for whatever else this man had to say.

"About those visions…"

Squall and Rinoa both froze at the mention of them, and Griever took their reactions as a cue to continue.

"As you both come to learn more about your powers, you'll learn what they truly are. What I can tell you now though, is that they're _not_ what the future holds for you." The Knight looked over to the desk where Xu had been typing, and sighed at her absence.

"Damn it, I wanted that part recorded especially." He turned back to the young couple with a small smile on his face.

"Remember, the future is not written. As two people who've traversed the fabric of time, you both should know that no one really knows what the future holds. Only in the present can we strive to make for a brighter tomorrow."

With that he stood up once more, and reached out both hands for the couple to take of hold of. He pulled them both off of the couch, Rinoa making a high-pitched "eeep!" sound upon feeling the force of Griever's grip.

"Geez! Easy there, muscles," joked Rinoa. Griever couldn't help but smirk at the name, and folded his arms over his chest.

"So, what now?" asked Squall.

Griever shook his head, confusing Squall and Rinoa after the encouraging way he'd finished addressing the situation at hand.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Nothing?" the couple replied in unison. The Knight nodded.

"This could've all taken place yesterday, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we couldn't meet until this morning. The day is still young, and I want you all to make the most of it before your training begins."

 _Unforeseen circumstances?_

… _Oh, the Mimic._

Squall tensed up once more at the thought of the Mimic, putting his hand over his now-healed wound on his lower abdomen,

"How's that healing up?" asked Griever referring to Squall's injury.

Squall didn't even bother asking how he knew, and just answered.

"Fine. Rinoa took care of it," he said with a small smile. He felt a small nudge on his other side, causing him to blush. Rinoa craned her neck in different directions to try and see his face, but Squall was making an effort to hide it from her.

"Oh, come on! I get the credit but I don't get a reward?"

Griever cleared his throat rather loudly to get the young couples' attention. He looked Rinoa over, and quickly sized up her open posture and generally playful, positive disposition as a part of her confidence and youth. It was no façade; this generation's Sorceress was a kindhearted girl with spirit to boot.

 _Of all the people to inherit this power…_

 _On one hand, there's no one I could imagine being the first Sorceress society would come to accept other than her…_

 _On the other hand, there's no person less deserving of this burden…_

The Knight shook his head to clear his mind, then returned to the present.

"I don't want you to worry about Hesiod for now. We'll deal with it once you're further along in your training. It knows that I'm here, and knows that it is _far_ outmatched by me should it try anything again."

Squall raised an eyebrow upon hearing the Mimic's name for the first time.

"Its name is Hesiod?" he asked.

Griever nodded.

"That's something we'll touch upon later. I assure you, it won't get in the way of our goal."

The couple took his word, and Griever made for the door.

"Shall we go get the others and let them know everything's alright?" the Knight suggested.

Squall nodded, but before he could take a step forward, Rinoa brushed past him and quickly opened them.

"Whoa!"

The two men walked over to stand behind her, and saw everyone standing outside in the third floor lobby waiting for them.

"I'm guessing everyone's up-to-date on…everything?" Griever asked Edea.

She nodded back to him.

"Everything except where we go from here," she replied.

Squall and Griever both turned to the other at the same time.

Griever patted Squall on the back, slight pushing him forward, giving the Commander the go-ahead to address his comrades.

Squall subtly shook his head, motioning that Griever should speak instead.

Griever shook his head in response, and motioned to the group again.

Squall widened his eyes and tensed his jaw, before shaking his head _again_.

The entire group watched the two of them engage in quiet game of "No, you do it," before Rinoa turned around and snapped.

"Someone say something!" she exclaimed for the third time.

Irvine couldn't help but laugh, and even with Selphie's nudge in his arm, _he_ was the first person to speak.

"Squall, I think that means _you_ should talk," he advised.

Griever looked over to his bodyguard and nodded in thanks. Irvine winked back, and had to hold back another fit of laughter after seeing how red with embarrassment Squall looked.

"Is everything okay?" asked Quistis. The whole group looked at their Commander, hopeful for a happy answer. Reluctant to speak, but knowing it needed to be said, Squall addressed those closest to him.

"Everything's okay. Tonight, just do whatever it is that makes you happiest. Together, alone, whatever; just do what you want to do, and relax. From tomorrow on, we start down a road no one in our position has before. Rinoa and I are going to learn to control and utilize our powers from Griever, and together, all of us...we're going to set a new precedent for the world. We'll be the first ones to live side-by-side with a Sorceress peacefully, and we're going to succeed."

The group let out a collective sigh of relief. As their tensions fell by the wayside, morale soared, and the groups' go-to person for all things fun picked up on it, and perked up next to her much taller boyfriend.

"Party!" yelled Selphie.

Irvine laughed again, and turned to his overly energetic girlfriend.

"Selphie, I—

The world's most powerful pair of tiny hands grabbed a firm hold of the collar of his jacket, and pulled him down the whole eleven inches in height difference between them.

"We're having a party! Don't be a butt, everyone here could use a chance to blow off some steam, right?!"

The group didn't protest, but it was barely noon, and everyone knew they'd be helping decorating right up until the party was supposed to start.

"Right?!" she exclaimed again.

Fearing for their lives, various voices saying "yes!" and "absolutely!" came forward.

Triumphant, Selphie smirked and walked to the middle of the room.

"Whoever doesn't _have_ to stay up here, let's hit the quad and grab some streamers! Oh, and some confetti! Oh, and some drinks! Oh! And some…

As Xu and Quistis began taking notes, Edea, Cid, Ellone, and Irvine started walking toward the office.

"I'll be down later, Sefie. Sorry I can't help decorate," said Irvine. The little warrior didn't even seem to notice he'd spoken, as her list wasn't finished yet. The sharpshooter turned and smirked as he passed Squall into the office.

"Good luck," he said smugly.

"Wait a second," Squall said back.

Irvine turned around nervously, fearing Squall may've had the authority to get Irvine out his contractual obligation with Griever, and force him to help decorate.

"Where's Zell?" the Commander asked.

Irvine shrugged.

"He didn't come up with Ellone and Selphie after they filled Quistis in on everything. He looked kind of glum while we were on the ship, too. You know anything about that?" he asked.

Squall looked down and put his hand under his chin to think.

 _He'd want to hear what happened here. I should go find him. We didn't leave off on the best of terms outside._

"I'll look for him and fill him in on everything. Maybe they're serving hot dogs today and I forgot," the Commander replied.

"Have fun being the only guy decorating, then," joked Irvine.

"Nida will be there, too," Squall retorted. Irvine raised his eyebrow at Squall's poor attempt at a comeback, and the Commander shook his head.

"…Damn it."

At that moment, Squall was pulled away from the doorway and into the elevator by another set of very strong, but not as small of hands.

"Don't think you're getting out of decorating duty, Squall!" threatened Rinoa. As the elevator doors closed, Irvine tipped his hat to Squall and turned in to the office.

 _Lucky bastard…_

* * *

So, they've finally met! Everything's come full circle...ish ;)

Shout out to new followers _G. K. Masterson_ & _Wench of Diablos_ , as well as _h34rt1lly, siobhane, Summoner Luna,_ _& Wench of Diablos_ for reading and being so kind to leave reviews. Hope to hear from all of you in the reviews section, until next update! Thanks again for reading :D


	15. Ceasefire On Souls

Chapter 14: Ceasefire On Souls…

* * *

For the first time in her life, Selphie found herself tired at one of her own parties. Other people's parties, absolutely, but an event she planned? The sight would give cause for any of her friends to worry, which was specifically why she'd chosen to plant herself in the back of the Garden ballroom. Quistis, Rinoa, and in short bursts, Squall, had helped her throw together an impromptu party for all of Garden. It was an effort to take the students' minds off of everything that had transpired throughout one very bizarre day. Before Quistis and Squall took to the quad to address the students and faculty, everyone had been under the impression that "the Sorceress made the Commander attack the Head Instructor." When the two of them finished explaining that "while the events were still being investigated, the Garden was now secure from whatever, or whoever, had staged Squall attacking Quistis, and also sabotaged Garden's communication systems," what was waiting for everyone in the ballroom was a very welcome surprise. Cid had made sure to reach out to the people of Balamb and ask them to join, in light of what had happened there as well.

In the wake of Hesiod's attack, the entire region of Balamb was gathered at Garden, forgetting their worries and sorrows and enjoying themselves. Everything had gone according to plan, which would've been cause for Selphie to be even more rambunctious amongst the festivities.

Yet, she sat with her head in her hand, humming along to the music playing in the background. She wasn't particularly sad, she was just tired.

 _If Irvy saw me like this, he'd probably say 'cheer up, buttercup.'_

 _Oh! And then he's probably pick me up and say 'I said cheer up!'_

 _And then I'd wail on his shoulder for him to put me down, and then we'd…_

Suddenly, the reason for Selphie's lack of energy became quite clear. It had only been a few hours since Griever, Edea, Cid, Ellone, and Irvine had holed up in the office to discuss their next move. Hesiod was probably at the forefront of the problems that needed to be addressed, and Griever was most likely laying out his plans to help Squall and Rinoa in explicit detail for Cid and Edea. It didn't make sense that Ellone had joined them for what was essentially a strategy meeting, but Squall was left out.

 _Maybe it's because Griever has to clear some things up with the Headmaster and Matron before they disclose that information to Squall._

 _They probably don't want the two of them to worry about Hesiod, either. Just to focus on their training, or whatever._

 _So, then who's going to take care of that freak? Us and the White SeeDs?_

 _It wouldn't be all of us. Squall and Rinoa would be here with Griever, and if Griever's here, that means…_

 _…Aw man!_

Irvine had already had more mood swings in the past three days than in the short three months of their relationship, let alone during the war. By default, he was laid-back, confident, and almost always positive. Replace his calm disposition with "uncomfortably energetic," and you'd have Selphie. Those differences in their personalities had been the key to their chemistry, and with the help of the other, no task seemed too daunting. If they were separated for the duration of Griever's time here, how could they be there for each other?

 _Ugh, just come downstairs and tell me everything's going to be okay, Irvy!_

"That glass looks awfully full."

The little warrior snapped out of her funk and looked up. Rinoa, looking slightly flushed, stood in front of Selphie, an eyebrow raised, while she nodded her head to the music.

"How much have _you_ had to drink, missy?" asked Selphie, pretending to be a disciplinarian.

"Hey, little miss 'I swear I didn't skip around the dorms in my chocobo onesie earlier,' it's only my second glass, and it's just champagne—this stuff is practically cider anyway. Something tells me Squall ordered beverages with the least amount of alcohol in them as possible," she joked.

"He tries to, but I always sneak in and change the order to the good stuff. It's cheap, so it saves us money, too! He probably notices we always have a little bit of cash left over after each order, but then just uses it on stuff for the training center," Selphie joked back.

Rinoa was impressed with Selphie's tactic to work around Squall's "everything light" policy.

"Good job, Selphie! No one could ever convince him to order anything with some bite; I'm glad someone's been sneaking in and doing the right thing."

They laughed and clinked each other's glasses; Selphie clinking her glass a little harder than Rinoa was anticipating. Unbeknownst to her, she had managed to pull the little warrior out of her funk—or as much as anyone who wasn't Irvine could—with her compliment. Every compliment was, in Selphie's mind, the equivalent of an A+ on an exam, which was always followed by immeasurable amounts of hopping and skipping. Considering this was hardly the time for such antics, energetic cheers would suffice.

"Speaking of which, where's your man?" asked Rinoa. Selphie crinkled her nose and scoffed.

With that, the funk returned.

"He's with Grievy. I know they're all having a meeting, or whatever, but Irvine promised that he'd be able to come out once they secured the big guy's bedroom. I know we've been busy throwing this together, and it's not even 1900, but I just want my Irvy for this 'last night,' you know, Rin?"

Rinoa blushed and had to hide her smile.

"What?" asked Selphie, starting to feel embarrassed.

"You called him Irvy. Sorry, everytime I hear one of you use those nicknames from when you were small, I can't help but giggle. It's so adorable."

She gasped as she remembered something and leaned in to gossip.

"Did you know Squall called Quistis ' _Quisty_ ' when he saw her injuries?"

Selphie gasped even louder in response, shooting up on her tippy toes and throwing up her arms excitedly.

With that, the funk lifted once more.

"He did?!" she squeaked.

Rinoa nodded excitedly and continued.

"It was so cute! He was so worried about her that he let it slip. He got really embarrassed and tried to play it off, but after he gave his report he was all 'be careful, carry your weapon' blah, blah, blah. You know, Squall's way of saying 'I'm worried about you and I hope you're going to be okay. I care; I have a huge heart; I'm so sweet.' "

Selphie raised a playfully skeptical eyebrow to Rinoa.

"That's what Squall means when he says 'be careful'?" she asked. Rinoa nodded excitedly in reply.

"You need to brush up on your Squallisms. It means that and so much more! Quistis knew!"

"Probably the nicest thing he's said to her since she was his instructor," joked Selphie. The two shared another laugh, and sipped on their respective drinks.

"You don't think this is kind of ridiculous, do you? How we make such a big deal out of Squall acting like a regular person?" asked Rinoa.

"No! Squall's ridiculous! We're deciphering a man whose only way of saying I care about you and you're my friend is 'be careful,' " Selphie finished her sentence in a drab tone, while making a dull, expressionless face. Her Squall impression was limited, as she couldn't suppress her spirits enough to properly emulate him.

"He's learning! I promise you that when we're together it's not just a lot of 'be careful, Rinoa.' We've made a lot of progress in that department. A _lot_ of progress." Rinoa raised both eyebrows at Selphie and giggled.

"Yeah, I bet. Before today I didn't think anyone could break through Squall's shell, but, Grievy, who's currently hogging _my_ boyfriend, went and proved me wrong."

Rinoa stood with her hand under her chin as she swished around the remaining champagne in her glass.

"Hey, what do you think about him? His story, his promises—I mean, I hugged him at one point during our meeting, and in the moment I even called him our friend, but do you think maybe it's all hot air?"

Selphie was surprised at Rinoa's skepticism. Maybe Squall was rubbing off on her a little during the process of getting him to open up.

"No, we spent a lot of time with him; Irvine, Ellone, and I. He's the real deal. That Mimic thing might really throw a wrench in the works, though. We gotta wipe that creep out!"

Rinoa shook her head and shrugged.

"I still haven't seen it yet. I suppose I should be happy that I was asleep when it was closest to me. Squall thinks it cast a Sleep spell on me so that it could change into me, and hid me in our closet before it attacked Quistis. I told him not to worry about it last night, but when we went back to our room before decorating today, he _had_ to get it out of his system and see what I thought. I gotta say though, when he holds off being a SeeD, the minute he gets the chance to do his thing, he's so cute in how serious he gets about it."

Selphie rolled her eyes at what felt like Rinoa's millionth declaration about how something Squall did was "cute."

"Hey, is he cute when he puts on his boots, too? Or when he brushes his teeth? How about when he flosses?" she asked sarcastically.

Rinoa laughed and nudged Selphie's shoulder. When Selphie went to nudge her back though, Rinoa flinched.

"Please, not your nudges," she said jokingly, but also hoping to avoid a bruise.

"Heeey, they're not that strong," replied Selphie.

"We're not all Irvine, Selphie. He must've been covered in bruises when you two first started dating."

Selphie swayed back and forth as multiple memories of nudging Irvine's shoulder flashed through her head. There were at least a hundred instances that someone else might've complained it would hurt, but Irvine couldn't seem to get enough.

"Yeah, but I made them all better with kisses...and Band-Aids, sometimes. Mostly kisses. Wait, it might be fifty-fifty. Or sixty-forty. Ugh, I can't remember! I'd ask him, but that big oaf is with the other big oaf and they're off being all...oafey. I just want my damn cowboy!"

The funk returned. Selphie stomped her foot and Rinoa feigned a frown.

"Aw, poor Selphie. Maybe I can get Squall to go see them and see if it's okay if Irvine is excused? If I can find him, that is…"

Selphie shook her head and waved off Rinoa's offer.

"No, he's doing the right thing. Hyne, I hate the right thing!"

Rinoa let out a high-pitched "eeep" sound and grabbed Selphie's hand.

"Come on, finish your drink and we'll go have a real drink. We won't get silly; we still have the rest of the night and have to make the best of it, right?"

Selphie smiled and quickly gulped down the rest of her glass.

"Right! All this talking makes me want to catch up with everyone else. Let's get something mean!"

With that, the funk lifted. This time, however, it dissipated completely.

"Oh, and there's something I wanted to talk to you about…" the little warrior began as they headed to the bar.

* * *

Squall and Irvine stood along the wall of Cid and Edea's room and watched Edea attempt to make sense of Griever's haircut.

"Hey, man, you sure you wanna be here? Weren't you having fun at the party?" asked Irvine.

Squall shrugged.

"I just came to check in on things. I'm not contracted, and I couldn't be present for the rest of your meeting, but, I'm still the Commander."

"You don't want to spend this time with Rinoa?"

 _Of course I do. I want to spend all of my time…all of time, with Rinoa. But, in order to do the latter, I need to be able to save her._

"It's still early; I won't be here for long. What about you? Not missing Selphie?"

Irvine drew pause as he thought how best to answer.

"Is it weird that I've gotten so used to her nudges that my arm hurts when she's not hitting me?"

Squall nodded, as he understood the sentiment all too well.

"No, it sounds like how I feel when I haven't seen Rinoa's little…cat…bunny…hop, thing."

Irvine looked at Squall confusingly as he tried to picture which of Rinoa's mannerisms he was poorly describing.

"I think I know what you're talking about. You mean when she hops up and down with her hands out kinda like this?" asked Irvine; putting his hands out like a puppy.

"Yeah, that's it. Wait, that's more like a dog. Why did I say cat?"

"Because she scratches."

Squall gave a small smile as Irvine laughed and patted him on the back.

"Ahem," came Edea's voice from the other side of the room. The two quickly stood at attention, not wanting to be scolded by their Matron. She was looking over her work on Griever's hair, and grinned proudly after fixing his abominable haircut.

"Boys, we're just about finished here. Griever, is there anything you have for the two of them?" she asked him. Griever ran his hands through his new hair. It was now slicked back, and held firmly in place by a styling gel he'd have to learn how to use. He couldn't believe how soft—not to mention neat, it felt. He reveled in his new hair a little longer and then addressed the two warriors.

"I'll be fine for the rest of the night. You two go have fun."

"Are you sure?" asked Squall.

"Should we stay away from the sauce? Just in case?" asked Irvine. Edea stared in disapproval of Irvine's casual way of talking to the Knight, but Griever actually seemed to appreciate it.

"I would, for your own sake. Starting our training without a hangover is preferable, but I won't steer you one way or the other. It is the last night, so to speak. Hyne forbid anything happens, my eternally sober ass will take care of it." Edea sat down at the chair across from the Knight and turned her glare onto him.

"That was a little crude," she remarked, folding her arms over her lap.

"Sorry," he replied quickly, looking away embarrassed.

Still at attention, Squall did an internal double-take at Griever's hasty apology.

 _Does she have that effect on everybody?_

Squall and Irvine saluted the two of them and made their way out of the room.

"Oh, hang on for a minute, Irvine," called Griever. The sharpshooter stopped short and held up his index finger to the Commander to buy himself a minute. When he closed the door leading to the office, Griever got up and walked over to him.

"What's up?" asked Irvine.

"Good call on cocking Exeter after I asked you all to leave earlier. I think that may've evened out their tempers a bit; allowed us to continue."

Irvine swallowed nervously and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Just doing my job, right?"

Griever nodded confidently at his bodyguard, and patted him on the back.

"Have a good night. Remember, we start at six AM sharp."

Irvine tipped his hat to his client, and then turned to walk back out of the room and leave the office with Squall.

* * *

Griever turned and walked back to his seat. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again, resting his elbows on the table.

"Do you like it?" Edea asked.

Griever nodded and smiled; tired, appearing a little lost in thought.

"Your adjustment has been quite remarkable," she began. "You spent all that time alone getting reacquainted with the world. Now, here you are around people, and it's like you've never been gone. You really have no memory of your life before your transformation?"

He shook his head in silence, a solemn expression falling over his face.

"I guess…it's just so bizarre that you would forget so much. Do you think it was Ultimecia's will? Maybe she knew there was a side of you that would ultimately seek out a peaceful life. You did live alone for ten years, after all. Perhaps, in that time, she—"

Griever shook his head and held up his right hand, politely gesturing for her to stop.

"That's one thing I do remember, Edea. We changed after we were attacked; you can only imagine how we felt after being sought out by the SeeD of our time."

Edea shifted in her seat uncomfortably and looked away.

"The SeeD of your time…and you're sure Cid and I weren't responsible for its inception? They sound like warmongers; terrorizing all who opposed their ideals."

"There were many a malevolent sorceress after the fall of Adel. Determining whether their wrath was drawn out by the constant persecution and alienation from others is hard to say. That's pitting nature against nurture, and both are such crucial elements in the way a person turns out—it's impossible to determine which played the bigger part.

"We thought we were the exception, until our environment brought out the worst in us. Nurture led to nature in our case; friction gave way to fire. But, I still believe that we were an exception to the rule, at least for a time."

The Knight then looked away. Edea recalled his expression from when Cid asked about Hesiod earlier; he was trying to remember his past. Her heart broke a little as she watched him wince in short increments. She couldn't know for sure, but she sensed he was trying to remember parts of his life from before the fighting started. He didn't look frustrated, but she could see he was struggling to hang onto sporadic memories that flashed through his mind. Concerned, and not wanting their guest to endure any unnecessary ire, she tried to change the subject.

"What about Squall and Rinoa? What gives you so much confidence you can do the same for them?"

Griever snapped out of his daze at the mention of that.

"Simple; _their_ environment. You all surround them. They're not alone, not like we were. This can work, I know it can."

Edea rose out of her seat and put her hand on Griever's hulking shoulder. There were still a lot of details she wished he could clear up, not just for her, but for himself as well. She wanted to help the Knight recall the parts of his life that weren't steeped in fervent rage and hatred against those who sought to harm them. It seemed, though, that even the most basic of details were lost on him.

"Griever…can you at least remember her name before the transformation? Or even your own?" she asked.

He sighed heavily and shook his head.

"I exist now as Griever. I believe this to be my true identity. Hesiod spoke to Zell about its true purpose; I believe this is mine. I'm not relating to that monster, I just understand what it was trying to say. Then again, it's always playing mind-games with its opponent, so I'll eventually find out if I'm right or not." He stood up and bowed to Edea.

"I'm going to retire for the evening. My room is back through there, right?" he asked, pointing to a hidden hallway between the entrance to her room and the wall adjacent to the door.

"Yes, we've prepared the guest room for you. Here's the key code to get in."

She handed him a piece of paper with "A,-8,-9,-A" written on it.

"What is this? A triple triad card or something?" he jested.

"You know triple triad?" she asked.

"No, I just saw some of the kids playing it on the White SeeD ship. Irvine explained it all to me. If this were my card, I'd be unstoppable." The former Sorceress laughed quietly to herself and walked him over to the entrance.

"Oh, and here's the special radio you requested. You can contact Irvine with this."

She handed him an old-fashioned flip phone with just one button in the middle.

"Thank you. Did he get his?" he asked.

"Yes, and he knows to answer it right away."

Griever nodded in thanks once more and put it into his jacket pocket.

"Thank you, Lady Edea," he said gratefully.

"Please, just Edea, Griever. We've known each other long enough," she said with a gentle smile.

The Knight smiled back and obliged.

"Right…thanks, Edea."

* * *

"Beer me," said Irvine to the girl working the bar.

"We don't have any beer, sir. Only champagne," she replied.

"What?!"

Irvine quickly turned to Squall, who shrugged at his surprise.

"I don't order beer when I put the inventory together, Irvine."

Squall had been looking over the room since they'd arrived and saw a few of the older cadets and SeeDs were stumbling around more than others. When he turned back, he eyed the bottles of champagne on the counter and noticed there were brands he hadn't ordered.

"Excuse me, what's the alcohol content in these bottles over here?" he asked, pointing to a group of plastic jugs that were very out of place next to the glasses of light champagne he'd ordered.

"Between all of them? About 9-12%."

The Commander immediately knew who the culprit behind this shipment was.

 _Selphie_.

"Well, don't worry. Selphie messed up my order—again—and ordered the cheaper, harder hitting stuff. Can't wait to step over puddles of vomit in the dormitories tomorrow," Squall droned.

That didn't make Irvine feel much better, but if he could get a buzz, he'd manage.

"Ok…champagne me then, please."

The bartender fetched him a glass and brought it to him, then immediately poured another for Squall.

"I'm ok, thanks," he said.

"It's from the lady in blue near the balcony."

 _Of course._

Squall relented and accepted the glass. When he looked over, he saw Rinoa waving at him, holding a glass herself. Xu and Selphie were talking excitedly, and Cid and Quistis were sitting down at a table together. The five of them seemed to be having a good enough time, but even after Rinoa waved them over, Squall felt like something was missing.

"Hey, did you ever find Zell earlier?" asked Irvine.

 _Wow, the group dynamic is that different without Zell that even Irvine noticed._

"No. I tried ducking out while decorating to look for him, but he wasn't in any of his usual spots. The cafeteria, the library, the training center; he wasn't even in his room."

Irvine furrowed his brow, unsure what to make of the bachelor in the group being suspiciously absent since their return from Centra.

"What do you think's going on? Did you two talk about anything in particular before Ellone came to get you and Rin?" asked Irvine.

 _You have no idea…_

"Not really, just briefed each other on what had happened after we parted ways in Balamb," Squall lied. "Speaking of Ellone, where is she?"

Irvine shrugged.

"She left the office as soon as the contract was resolved. She's got the White SeeDs here, not to mention all of the kids they're sailing around with."

 _That's true; guess I shouldn't worry about her._

Irvine could see Squall was about to get lost in his head, and tapped him on the shoulder to bring him back to the party.

"Come on, Commander. Our ladies are calling. Look at em; it's only been a few hours. We should probably get over there sooner than later," joked Irvine.

They clinked their glasses, and took long sips before heading over to see their potentially inebriated girlfriends, as well as their definitely plastered Headmaster.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Squall remembered abruptly, stopping in his tracks. Irvine turned around to face him, and saw his Commander give him a nod of approval.

"Good call on cocking Exeter after Griever asked you to leave earlier. I think he actually thought you were ready to shoot me."

Irvine froze for a second, and then proceeded to give Squall the same half-hearted smile he'd given Griever just minutes before.

"Don't mention it. Just doing my job, right?"

The Commander nodded confidently at his comrade, and patted him on the back as he resumed walking to their friends.

 _Oh boy…I need this drink more than I thought…_

A very conflicted Irvine quickly took another long sip of his drink before meeting up with the others.

"Heeey! You're back!" chirped Selphie as she jumped into his arms and gave him a big smooch on the cheeks.

 _Nevermind,_ she's _what I needed…_

"I'm back! So, do I have to play catch-up or babysitter?" Irvine asked her.

The little warrior pouted and nudged his arm.

"Neither, I'm perfectly fine! Can't I be this happy to see you without being drunk?" she asked defensively.

"Hey, it's a party, Selphie. I'm just going off of past experiences, here."

She pouted again and turned her back to him. Irvine wasted no time, and lifted her off the ground and spun her in the air. When he put her back down, he kissed her on the lips, leading her to smile and sway back and forth on her heels.

"Ok, I'm sorry. You're not mad, are you?" he asked her.

She took hold of his hand and took a sip of his drink as a sign of forgiving him.

"I made a good choice with the champagne to switch out in the order, right?" she asked, unaware Squall was within earshot.

"I knew it," the Commander deadpanned.

"Oh!" Selphie sucked in her lips as if to take back the words she'd just said.

Squall shook his head, a small smile gracing his face.

"It's fine. Just ask me next time."

"So you can say no? No way, now drink up, Leonhart!" she hollered, pushing his glass up to his lips. Squall didn't have a choice but to swallow his drink whole if he didn't want it to get all over his face. Rinoa laughed at the sight of even him being pushed around by Selphie.

"Yeah! The Commander's gettin' hammered!" hollered Nida from the other side of the room. The sight gave cause for the room to erupt in cheering, but that didn't stop Squall from pulling the glass away from his face, irritated.

"Hey, you need this more than anyone," said Rinoa, snuggling up to him.

Suddenly, he wasn't that irritated.

"I don't need this, per se, but I'll indulge as long as it's you who orders it, and not one of them. How did you know which one was basically sparkling cider?" he asked.

"I just ordered a glass of the stuff only the junior cadets could have," she teased.

Squall chuckled, slightly embarrassed that he was essentially having a kid's drink while everyone else acted their age.

"So, did I miss anything while I went looking for Zell?"

Rinoa held her hands behind her back and began to fidget nervously.

"...Rinoa?"

"...I'm sorry, Squall."

Before he could further inquire, Selphie jumped in the middle of the couple, doe eyes ever-present to catch him off guard.

"Look, I won't move any of your stuff around, I promise! But, we're definitely having girl's night at least once a month in Rinoa's room; it's only fair!" she whined.

Squall turned his head slowly to see Rinoa with an ear-to-ear guilty smile on her face; simultaneously apologizing for what had transpired for the short time he was away while assuring him that he had no say in this.

"Seriously?" he asked

"Quistis will be there, too! She'll keep us in check, I swear!" assured Rinoa.

Irvine reached over and pulled Selphie away.

"Hey, I thought you wanted to see me?" he asked.

"I can't let Squall ruin girl's night, Irvy!" she insisted.

Irvine looked at Squall in horror, but the Commander only nodded, albeit unenthused.

"I know," he sighed. "It just...kind of happened. Better hide your stuff, this one likes to go exploring, too," he finished, tilting his head toward his girlfriend.

Rinoa pushed him playfully.

"Hey! I don't mess with other people's stuff! Just yours!"

She leaned in and gave him a quick, gentle kiss. He fought to hold back a rosy blush, but it was a losing battle. His high cheekbones gave way to how happy he was to be with Rinoa and all of their friends again. No one had their weapons drawn, or were hovering over a series of documents to plan out a mission. Even if it was just for a night, they were all at peace, something even Squall Leonhart couldn't disapprove of.

"So, yeah, hide your stuff. We're not going to win this one. Apparently, even Quistis is on board," he continued.

"Oh, come on! You two got to Quistis?" exclaimed Irvine.

"Excuse me! I can have fun, too!" yelled Quistis from a table away. She and Cid seemed to be on about their fifth glass each, and an empty bottle sat in the middle of their table with another one already half finished next to it.

"Looks like it," remarked Xu, who was swaying loosely to the music. Irvine looked curiously at the usually overly responsible SeeD, and she scoffed at him.

"What? I'm getting into the music!" she replied, her words slurred.

"It's 20:00, Xu. Are we about to see a side of you we haven't before?" asked Irvine.

Xu tsked and reached for her empty glass.

"I'm gonna go talk to one of the deckhands from Balamb. They seem to be having a good time," she replied.

"Drink some water while you're there," advised Quistis.

Squall shook his head in disapproval of his co-workers' behavior, until Rinoa poured a little of her drink into his glass.

"Really?" he asked.

"Just try it. It's actually tasty stuff. You like raspberries, right?" she asked. Squall shrugged and took a sip of his new drink.

 _This must be the 12% stuff._

"How much of this have you had?" he asked, a hint of worry in his tone. Rinoa rolled her eyes and nudged his arm.

"This is my 2nd glass of _this_ stuff. After this, I'm probably gonna want something to eat. I wouldn't say I've got the drunchies, but I'm definitely hungry."

"Drunchies?" asked Squall.

"You know, like the munchies, but when you're…oh come on, Squall! Here, have some more." She walked over to Quistis and Cid's table and grabbed their second bottle.

"Hey, I was just about to fill back up!" exclaimed a very drunk Cid.

Rinoa shot a smirk back at the Headmaster.

"The Commander is suffering from 'only-sober-guy-at-the-party syndrome.' He needs our help, Headmaster!" she replied playfully.

Cid laughed and obliged.

"Oh, well in that case, keep it. Get him nice and liquored up!" he replied.

 _First Xu, and now Cid? How professional…_

"I'll go get us another bottle," Quistis offered.

The Head Instructor got up from her chair and elegantly strided over to the bar. Squall and Rinoa couldn't help but notice that just about every man in the room's eyes followed her as she went to and from the table.

"I can't tell if she's always that composed, or just has an unrealistic tolerance," remarked Rinoa.

"Both, I think. She was pretty together at the party when we returned from the future, and I heard she drank as much as the two love birds over there," he said, pointing to Irvine and Selphie who were already tipsily play-fighting in the corner.

"Selphie's actually kept herself to only a few drinks. She was overseeing the party like a pro before we started gossiping about you two," corrected Rinoa.

Squall sighed with a tired smile.

"You're gossiping now, too?" he asked, amused, but aware this would bring many a sleepless night.

Rinoa took hold of his free hand and gave him a rather serious look.

"Quistis wanted to talk to me when that Mimic hid me in the closet. She wanted to help bring me out of my—or, our shell; they all wanted to bring us back out with them. They missed us. Girls night, the gossiping; I'm going to try and start living my life without fear again. I think you should do the same."

 _So that's why Zell came looking for me yesterday..._

 _Damn, that's all he was trying to do, and the rest of his day was just hell…_

Squall caught himself drifting off into his thoughts, and quickly turned to respond to Rinoa.

"I think you'll have an easier time doing that than me. Once training starts…"

She placed her finger over his lips to shush him.

"None of that. Not tonight, ok?" she insisted.

He nodded, and took another sip of his drink.

"This stuff _is_ strong," he remarked.

"This stuff is great, you mean," she corrected him, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. He looked at her, flushed again, and kissed her back.

Something about this particular kiss caused Squall to linger. The smell of her shampoo and perfume intoxicated him, and after a year of working on opening himself up more for her, he threw caution to the wind and let the door to his heart swing wide open.

"I love you," he whispered.

For reasons he couldn't explain, he'd become the first person to say those three words to the other. Shocked, Rinoa knew exactly what she wanted to say back, but was unable to verbalize it in light of the surprise.

"Is that…Is that the alcohol talking?" she asked cautiously.

Squall rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"Yeah, three sips and I'm on drunk autopilot. No, it's not. It's me; I love you, Rinoa." Placing her drink down, she wrapped her arms around his waist and passionately pressed her lips against his. She pulled away ever-so-slightly while she leaned the rest of herself into him.

"Let's get out of here. Parties aren't really my thing," she whispered, the tips of her lips brushing against his.

Squall was enticed to say the least, but that statement threw him off.

"What? But you love parties—"

She interrupted him by tightly pulling on his jacket with a sly smile, and he caught on to what she really wanted.

"Oh!" he exclaimed in realization. "Wait, I missed a cue. Does that mean…"

She narrowed her eyes coyly at him and nestled her nose up against his.

"I'll decide where I need a massage most once we get back to our room," she teased.

 _I'd be lying if I said I didn't make a "mistake" like that on purpose, sometimes._

The Commander turned to their friends as he tried to compose himself.

"So...uh, we're gonna leave, everyone. Enjoy the rest of your night," Squall awkwardly announced.

No one objected, seeing that his face was bright red, and everyone waved goodbye.

"Wait!" yelled Selphie. She ran over to give Rinoa a big squeeze, and Rinoa returned it with just as much enthusiasm.

"I'll show you how to do it on our first girl's night. It's not as hard as it sounds, really," said Selphie, alluding to a conversation they'd been having before.

"Ok, ok. I'll try it, but I really like it the way it is now," replied Rinoa.

"Pleeeeease?"

Rinoa laughed and gave Selphie another big hug.

"Yes, yes, I will. I'll try it."

She pulled away from Selphie and looked up at Squall, who was utterly confused.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear how that turns out," interjected Quistis, who'd apparently been in on the conversation as well.

"What the hell is going on?" Squall finally asked.

"Shhhh, this is girl talk. You're a boy, so shhhh!" Selphie scolded.

Squall looked to Irvine for help, but the sharpshooter shook his head rather frankly.

"You made your bed, man," he replied.

 _That's harsh, even for Irvine..._

Squall watched as the imp in the yellow sundress continued whispering to the angel in the blue duster.

 _...And I completely deserve it._

 _I'll look into getting us both safes for our things. It's the only way to make up for what I may've started._

"Come on," said Squall. He bent down and picked Rinoa up off her feet. The group was impressed and applauded the once lone wolf's sweeping romantic gesture.

"I know! He's come so far!" Rinoa loudly bragged. Squall began walking faster as Rinoa and Selphie started blowing kisses back and forth to each other. Irvine swooped in and threw the little warrior over his shoulder, prompting her to playfully kick and flail her arms about. Rinoa laughed heartily at the sight before nestling into her Knight's embrace.

"Now, take me away!"

* * *

The night had wound down, and Ellone took in the sight of everyone leaving the ballroom either very tired or very drunk from one the benches in the atrium. Squall had carried Rinoa out earlier, and as he turned to presumably ask about something involving work, Rinoa put her hand over his mouth. Ellone laughed as he shrugged and resumed walking to their room. Passing waves from Selphie and Irvine as they headed off to the quad told her they were surprisingly sober, and Cid's rambling about when she and Quistis were young they used to do this, that, and the other thing was proof he'd had the most fun at the party. She didn't see Zell come out, but figured that since the library had closed earlier than usual, he may've been in there this whole time.

She got up and walked outside to get some air. White SeeDs stood along the walkway in rows of two all the way to the front gate, and the ship was docked at Balamb, where other members of her crew were helping get repairs underway.

She went to pull out her cellphone, when she heard a familiar pair of stiletto heels clicking against the pavement behind her. She turned, and smiled warmly as Quistis stepped out into the night with her, leaning on the railing in front of them.

"Cid's ok, I take it?" Ellone asked.

"Oh, he's great. Matron wasn't particularly enthused, but I think she may've been more disappointed I didn't cut him off from the sauce earlier in the night," she replied.

"The sauce?" Ellone teased her friend. Quistis smiled and brushed off Ellone's comment with a wave of her hand.

"You spend enough time around Irvine and Zell, and you pick up on a few things."

The two laughed, and Ellone leaned forward to be at eye level with her friend.

They had played very different roles in the war, but both managed to make the best of their experiences, and found themselves in positions of power meant to make a positive difference in people's lives. Ellone was grateful hers was far less combat-oriented, but the katars secured to the sides of her legs were always ready to be used. Save The Queen caught her eye from Quistis' belt loop as the yellow tint from one of the lights overhead reflected off it. Clearly, Quistis was no less prepared than she was.

"Selphie mentioned Griever has almost no memory of his life before, or even during the war. What do you think of that?" asked Quistis. The question came from out of nowhere, and Ellone needed a minute to prepare an answer.

"Well...he's telling the truth. We kind of had a little spat after everything that happened in Dollet. I pressed him for answers to some questions I had, and he looked genuinely pained when he tried to answer them."

"Like something's preventing him from remembering?" Quistis responded quickly. Ellone looked at her friend with a sense of urgency, but Quistis remained composed; her query answered by her expression.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Quistis apologized.

"How did you know, though?" the White SeeD Commander asked.

Quistis turned and leaned her back against the railing before letting out a heavy sigh.

"When Matron and Xu found me, they thought I was unconscious. I suspected I was in the link. Hesiod's fists were illuminated in yellow light when it attacked me, and after hearing Selphie explain what it did to Griever in Dollet..."

Ellone froze upon hearing that. Quistis spoke with the authority and confidence she did when she had a firm understanding of the topic at hand. What Ellone thought had been something she'd have to keep to herself throughout what was to come, Quistis may have, unfortunately, become privy to first hand. Both women stood in silence as the extent of the Mimic's power sunk in.

"So, it sent you back?" Ellone asked.

Quistis nodded.

"What I saw didn't make much sense at the time; the connection was terribly unstable. The things I saw came in sporadic bursts, but...there was one thing that was clear..."

Now came time for Ellone to ask about something she'd wish she'd never seen.

"What was it?"

Quistis took in a deep breath before turning to her friend.

"The fight in Trabia," she replied.

Before Ellone could panic and flood her friend with her questions and fears, Quistis held up her hand, and continued.

"It was all out of context at the time. I thought it was a dream, or maybe even a strange premonition like the ones Rinoa has been having. But, when we argued about Squall and Rinoa's death, when I saw the ring, and when I called him by his name...it wasn't until Squall confirmed he was coming—after you sent him back—that I knew it was all real."

She locked eyes with Ellone, affirming she was finished, and the White SeeD Commander filled Quistis in on what else she knew.

"We were all there, apparently. He has this idea that it took place far into the future, but I have no idea why. Maybe it has to do with what's…well, keeping him in the dark."

Quistis raised her eyebrow at her friend, prompting Ellone to elaborate.

"The Monster."

While the answer was far from comforting, it was an answer nonetheless.

"I can't say for certain what it's motives are, but it sure as hell doesn't want him asking any questions. I only heard it for a moment when I spoke with him on the ship. Oddly enough, I think it's just as set on helping Rinoa and Squall as he is. Don't ask me why, though," Ellone concluded.

Quistis leaned back against the railing and folded her arms over her chest in deep thought.

"I have some papers you should take a look at back at the ship. I've been writing down everything Griever's told us, along with what I saw while I was the link with Seifer. You would—"

"With who?!" Quistis interrupted.

 _Damn it. Should've seen that one coming._

Ellone looked back at her friend with her mouth hung open. Mentioning Seifer was never a good idea; despite everyone's reluctance to brand him a war criminal, let alone their enemy, it had left everyone unsure of how to think of him at all. Everyone had their own unique reaction to his name; Selphie would sigh at the thought of what could've been, while Rinoa would grow oddly quiet, or perhaps leave the room. Squall would scowl and withdraw from whatever conversation was being had, Irvine would shake his head in disappointment, and saying anything related to chickens around Zell was off limits for a few days.

Quistis, however was the only one of them who would immediately inquire further at the mention of him, be it over his wellbeing, his time in asylum; the group thought it was her days as his instructor kicking back in, but no one had ever asked her as to why. The longer she drew a blank, the more expectant Quistis' gaze grew.

Just as Ellone was contemplating saying "Kidding! Boy, you should've seen the look on your face!"—a tactic she'd learned from watching Laguna avoid scoldings from Raine, Kiros, Squall—anyone, really—her cell phone rang. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket, only to see it was the man himself on the other side of the line.

"Quisty, it's Laguna, I...I swear, I can explain this later."

Not particularly angry—but not thrilled, either—Quistis rose from up the banister and looked expectantly at Ellone.

"...I suppose we'll follow up, then." The Head Instructor didn't break her steely gaze until she started to walk away, and Ellone quickly answered her phone to seek some solace from the bomb she'd just dropped.

"Hey Uncle Laguna!" she chirped, elated he'd serendipitously bailed her out of explaining everything to Quistis.

When her relentlessly cheerful uncle didn't respond right away, her nerves returned as quickly as she hoped they'd leave.

"Um...Laguna?" she said again.

The President of Esthar cleared his throat on the other side of the line, and then started in.

"So, I had a weird day yesterday."

 _Ugh, I can't catch a break._

Getting "scolded" by Laguna wasn't something most people had experienced. Ellone had probably seen the darkest side of the man, but even that was more humorous than it was authoritative. His methods of administering discipline included the infamous cuchi-cuchi treatment, as well as classic one-liners such as "you're gonna make me sad if you do that. Do you wanna make me sad?" and "I can't tell everyone what a good girl you are if you do things like that!" At twenty-two, and a Commander of her own fleet, not much had changed regarding these interactions.

"You know, I was in a very important meeting when you decided to—"

"No, you weren't." What would've been disrespectful in any other context was actually Ellone catching her adoptive father in a little white lie.

"...I was enjoying a nice glass of freshly squeezed punch before you sent me back, and now there's this big stain on my rug from when I dropped it! You know how long it's gonna take to get that stain out?"

 _That's more like it._

"I'm sorry, Uncle Laguna, but, you remember where—and more importantly—with whom I sent you, dont you? If you just let me explain—"

"Oh, I remember. Squall got so mad he was screaming at the ceiling! His face was blood-red, and I kept pissing him off until we saw Raine. Then he got all quiet, and I got kind of sad, and he was sort of sorry, but it was hard to tell because he's Squall, and then…"

Ellone held the phone away from her ear while Laguna continued to recount the poorly cooked meal, how he wish he didn't have a gut, until he finally stopped to catch his breath.

"So...I guess what I should be saying is, thanks."

That, she was not expecting.

"Thanks? So...you're not mad?" she asked, hoping for him to say yes. Laguna sighed on the other side of the phone, and she smiled as she imagined him scratching the back of his head, looking for the right thing to say.

"Of course I'm not mad. Even if I was, like, actually mad, I'd hear your voice and think 'hey, it's my girl!' and then I'd get all mushy and probably—no, definitely hug you. Actually, now I miss you. This is so confusing! You were in trouble, like, two minutes ago!"

Ellone burst out laughing as the president of the most scientifically advanced country on the planet gushed over her while still completely confused as to what was happening.

 _He's gushing in circles._

 _Hyne, Squall, lighten up and take some notes._

"So, you mind explaining...uh, everything?" he asked. She chuckled again before recounting everything that had taken place over the past few days, making sure to leave out what else she had seen from the past. Upon mentioning who they were sent to retrieve from the Cape Of Good Hope, Laguna interrupted her.

"Wait, you were sent to get that guy?! He's back?!"

 _That's right, he told Laguna and Raine he'd see them again._

"So, ok, hang on. When Squall saw him, the kid froze up like he'd seen a ghost. Then, I noticed he was wearing the ring that guy gave Raine! I was like 'hey...what?!' But, then the vision ended, and I was face down on my rug, and...well I told you about the stain, right?"

"Yes, you did," Ellone replied with a chuckle. She could hear Laguna's sandals ruffling the rug beneath him as he paced back and forth, probably mulling over everything to draw a not-entirely-wrong conclusion.

"So, that hobo was actually, like, a big deal?" he asked. Ellone had yet to reveal Griever's true identity to her uncle, fearing what kind of reaction it might evoke. Worse, that very man had bestowed his only son with strength that was, for all intents and purposes, created by the very woman who threatened to destroy all of existence no more than a year ago.

 _I guess he hasn't talked to Seifer._

 _Better I tell him than anyone else…_

"He's more than a big deal, Uncle Laguna. He's...essentially Squall's predecessor…"

"Like, he used to be in charge of SeeD or—"

"No, he used to...he once shared the title Squall took on when Rinoa became a Sorceress…"

The sound of Laguna scratching the back of his head came through the receiver as he

tried to remember what other "title" Squall had. Ellone looked down at her watch to time how long it would take him. At almost a full minute, the older man gasped upon his epiphany.

"No way!" he shouted.

Ellone sighed before responding.

"I'm afraid it's true, Uncle Laguna."

"But, wait, if he's a Knight, or whatever, then that means he served a Sorceress! The dude said he was married; who is he?!"

"Well, we actually don't know who he _was_. What we do know is that he used to serve Ulti—"

"What?!"

Laguna wasn't terribly fond of his machine gun anymore, but if Griever had revealed his identity to him in person like he had to Irvine and Zell, she imagined he would've had no problem filling his chest with led. In his old age, whether Laguna's heart would've been able to handle watching someone essentially rise from the dead, she couldn't say.

"That...that motherfu—"

"No! Uncle Laguna, wait!"

"He came into my home, charmed me and Raine into trusting him, and then planted the ring on my son as a seed for him to come back!"

Ellone tried to tell her uncle everything Griever had told them.

"He's the reason we defeated Ultimecia! He even told Raine that's why he was giving Squall the ring, it's all true, Laguna!"

"No! That bastard's no different than any of the rest of em! Maybe he did want Squall to have it so he could beat Ultimecia, but Rinoa's the Sorceress now, and that means that just like she inherited Ultimecia, Edea, and Adel's powers, that Griever guy is looking to ensure Squall inherits his!"

Ellone fell silent at the sudden conclusion Laguna had drawn about the Knight. Not only was his perception incredibly uncharacteristic of him, but his theory made perfect sense.

"I...I hadn't even…"

As Ellone continued to struggle with a response, her discussion with Griever after returning from the link came to mind. She spoke with the man he claimed to be, the man who was looking to prevent Rinoa and Squall from going the same path of madness he and Ultimecia had. Their conversation was interrupted, however, by the very entity that may've been at the root of both his, and Squall's strength.

 _That voice I heard...it kept him from recalling what he'd seen in the link._

It told him to stay focused on the task at hand.

But, he said he was in control of it.

...Could there be something playing out even Griever isn't aware of?

Laguna cleared his throat on the other side of the phone, interrupting Ellone's train of thought.

"...I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."

 _But, you might be right!_

"He...I don't know, Elle. He didn't seem like a bad guy when I met him. Maybe he's not, I'm just worried about my boy." Caught off guard by Laguna's opening up about Squall, Ellone remained silent to let him continue.

"I know I'm never gonna be father of the year to him. But, I sleep at night because I know he's happy at Garden, with SeeD, Rinoa, and all of his friends. If something were to happen to him because of this guy, I don't know what I'd do."

The White SeeD Commander's heart melted at her adoptive father's words.

"I won't let anything happen to Squall, Laguna. I promise." Laguna hummed in response, and she imagined it came with a smile.

"I know you won't, kiddo," he replied. Her spirits reinvigorated at his words, she continued.

"Griever want's to help them, Laguna. The man who served as Ultimecia's Knight relinquished his title to prevent something like this from happening. He is not our enemy."

Laguna drew pause at her emphasis.

"Why'd you say it like that? Do we have an enemy?"

Esthar had access to the same database that the White SeeD ship had. There was no doubt that they'd seen what happened in Balamb, and who, or what, was responsible for it. Maybe Kiros hadn't alerted Laguna to what was happening yet. Or, if she remembered the terms of Seifer's asylum correctly, there was a chance he'd been preoccupied with seeing if he knew anything about it. Stating Hesiod was the enemy would be obvious, and the time she'd spend explaining the creature's existence would only further confuse Laguna. What she was more focused on, was his question.

 _Do we have an enemy?_

 _...The Monster…_

While Griever had defected from Ultimecia, there was no way of deciphering the motives of the beast within him. It was clearly a sentient, partially dependant entity—not unlike a Sorceress and her powers. It's parting words to him before letting him continue speaking with Ellone confirmed Griever was there to accomplish what he'd told them over and over, but Laguna's panicked theory brought up concerns as to what might follow Squall and Rinoa being in complete control of their powers..

"I...Laguna, I don't think this is as clear cut as we'd like it to be," she finally replied.

"Meaning…"

Just then, she heard the sound of the doors to the presidential office bust open. Kiros' normally soft-spoken, often soothing voice was heavy with worry, and while she couldn't decipher his words, Laguna's tone changed accordingly.

"Sweetie, we're gonna have to follow up. Look, just keep your eyes peeled. I know you can get to the bottom of whatever we're unsure about."

 _What's going on?_

"Did you hear me, Elle?"

Ellone snapped back into their conversation, and agreed, for lack of having anything else to offer.

"I heard you. I'll hold down the fort, I promise."

"That a girl. I love you."

"I love you too."

With that, the call abruptly ended, and Ellone was left inundated with questions that she didn't know needed to be asked.

 _Gah, I can't handle all of this at once!_

She looked out over the path heading to the front gate. From afar, she could hear the waves of the Balamb ocean crashing against the shore. Almost instantly, as though the ocean wished to comfort her, her heart rate slowed, and her nerves fell to the side. A soft brush of wind washed over her, and she was suddenly calm; her worries postponed for when she was more prepared to face them. As her mind drifted away on the sound of the tide, her moment of peace was cut short. A spiky-haired silhouette of a man wandered up through the front gate, and she couldn't help but wonder if the ocean hadn't brought him to her to further raise her spirits.

 _Zell?_

* * *

Whoo! So, this chapters less plot, more fluff. I hadn't really done a full-on fluff chapter before, so I thought it'd be a nice break for both the characters and readers to just indulge in some feels with little to no angst or action involved. We'll return to our regularly scheduled fic shortly :D

Thanks to _siobhane, Summoner Luna,_ & _SilentStarlightSky_ for your reviews, as well as _bobamon_ for becoming this stories latest follower. All feedback is very much appreciated, and I love reading and responding (when the site lets me) to all of you. Can't wait to hear what you all think of everything. Next update in about two weeks or so. Until then, seeya! 


	16. Perfidy

**Chapter 15: Perfidy**

* * *

Irvine and Selphie nestled up to each other under a tree in the quad. They had the whole place to themselves and despite having had fun in the ballroom, they hadn't had the chance to just enjoy the other person's' presence. The ocean breeze blew in and ran up along the mountains behind Garden, carrying a crispness that gave them chills. It was wonderful, but Selphie's yellow sundress was no match for the combination of the two. She burrowed inside of Irvine's coat, fitting almost completely inside of its long, wide coattails. If someone had been watching from behind, it would look like Irvine had put on a lot of weight and was talking to himself.

"I was telling Squall how my arm hurts when you're not nudging it. I've gotten so used to it that I feel like I can't end my day without getting at least one from you," he commented.

"You like the nudges more than kisses?" she asked, still trying to fully emass herself within the coat.

"Almost," he said back with a smile.

For two people who were newly in a relationship, they weren't much for PDA. Despite his bravado, Irvine hadn't considered advancing the relationship in a physical manner whatsoever. Selphie's energy and charm had given him something he didn't know he needed, and during the past three months since they'd actually started dating, that what was he looked forward to the most. Sure, Selphie wasn't bad on the eyes by a mile, but damn if she didn't have more to offer than that. They were only eighteen, but Irvine's days of "being a ladies man" were far, far behind him. For as long as she'd have him, he only wanted to be Selphie's man.

"Hang on, you talked to _Squall_ about us?" she asked, surprised. The sharpshooter nodded.

"We were talking about you and Rinoa; about how tonight is supposed to be all of our last nights before Griever begins training him. I'll be with them the whole time, you know? So when we were both upstairs with him and Matron, we were wishing we were with you two instead." Selphie cooed and nuzzled her head into Irvine's chest, and then looked up at him.

"So, you kinda had a guys night?" she teased. Irvine rolled his eyes as playful snickering came from inside his coat. A series of quick pokes brought his attention back to the imp beside him. Her disposition as sweet as before, there was a more serious question on the tip of her tongue.

"You missed me?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Like crazy," he replied. She tussled giddily at the sound of that and smiled from ear to ear.

"I missed you, too. I was in the back of the ballroom before Rinoa found me and cheered me up."

Selphie sat up, still inside of Irvine's coat, and looked at him with concern.

"But, while we were on the White SeeD ship, I missed you then, too. I was with you, but not _with_ you. Even while we were running through Dollet...I don't know, I felt like you were somewhere else," she said.

Irvine ran his hand through her hair and pulled her closer.

"I'm... afraid, Sefie."

"Of what?"

The sharpshooter swallowed nervously and let out an anxious sigh.

"Griever's come here to repay a debt."

Selphie looked at her man, confused by his choice of words.

"Repay a debt?" she asked. Irvine nodded, and then leaned his head back against the tree.

"He's in debt to…well, all of us, in a way. Everything that's happened with Rinoa that's been so scary for all of us is a blessing in disguise for him. He's the only person, as far as we know, that might be able to curtail our worst fears. But, with the expectations he's set, he's askin' a _lot_ back from us."

Selphie repositioned herself within Irvine's coat so that she could sit on his lap while keeping it wrapped around the two of them. She looked into his eyes, and to her surprise, saw the charisma and confidence that she'd always known him to have waning.

"We knew this wasn't going to be easy…" she began.

"But did we know it'd be this hard? And, this quickly?"

Again, Selphie found herself confused by Irvine's choice of words. This time, though, she sensed his elaborating wouldn't be a series of metaphors for their situation. Something had happened, something she hadn't been present for so she could comfort him, and she wanted nothing more than to shake it out of her cowboy. Judging from his disposition, a different, tempered approach would be more effective. Not just in getting him to talk, but also helping her to help him.

"What happened?" she asked, running her fingers down the side of his face. While Irvine didn't turn away, his response—or lack thereof, rather—to her touch indicated whatever had happened had shaken him up more than he'd let on.

"After Matron brought Squall and Rinoa into the office to meet with Griever, the usual happened. Griever revealed who he was, Squall and Rinoa almost flipped, etc, etc."

"Right, standard procedure in meeting Griever," Selphie added. Irvine couldn't help but chuckle as a smirk crept across Selphie's face. She would approach this differently, but her sense of humor was always intact, whether she was turned all the way up or struggling to maintain a calmer demeanor.

"Right," continued Irvine. "After that passed, Squall got kinda…scary."

"Scary? Oh, like how he gets really protective over Rinoa when it comes to her Sorceress powers? Or her health? Or...anything, really?"

Irvine shook his head, and Selphie began to feel a little uneasy herself.

"Remember when Seifer threw Rinoa down in front of Adel? Do you remember what he said as Rinoa begged him to let her go?"

Selphie shook her head, listening intently to see where Irvine was going with this. For him to make a comparison like between Squall and Seifer, of all people, could mean something dire for the group.

"He said, 'I can't go back now. I can't go anywhere.' He wasn't doing what he _wanted_ , he was only doing what he _could_ do with what little time he thought had left. He was so vulnerable—scared, even. And right after saying that, he almost gave Ultimecia everything she wanted. The fear he felt right then caused him to do something reckless. He was backed into a corner, and did the only thing he thought he could.

"When Squall started yelling and going on a tirade about how he was so confused about everything going on, I saw him begin to lose control. Squall, our Commander, our leader, and most importantly, the guy who didn't crack under the weight of everything Cid dumped on his shoulders, outright challenged the one person who may be able to help him and Rinoa. He was ready to take Griever on and disregard everything he'd said to them, to us, _everything_ , right there."

"But, Squall knows Griever the best out of all of us. He's the one with the ring!" interjected Selphie.

"That didn't matter. Squall's connection to Griever, let alone every kind of tactical approach that he'd default to, went right out the window. He was about to go all out, I could see it. I think Griever could, too. That's when he kicked us all out…

"…And when Matron, Xu, and I stepped out into the hall, I cocked Exeter."

Selphie knew that statement was supposed to have more of an impact, but she had no idea why Irvine having his weapon ready would be a problem in a high-risk environment.

"Irvy, I feel like I'm missing something here. Why is it bad that you cocked Exeter? You had Sleep junctioned, or dark ammo loaded up to neutralize either of them, didn't you?"

His conscience heavy with guilt, Irvine slowly shook his head. It then dawned on Selphie what his "being prepared" really entailed. Pulling at overly optimistic straws, she hoped there was still a chance that whatever Irvine would've done wouldn't have derailed everything that followed the meeting. It all came down to who his target was.

"…Irvine, who would you have shot?"

The sharpshooter didn't respond right away. He looked into her eyes and he tried to answer honestly. When he couldn't think of what to say, he shook his head again and looked away from her.

"I don't know," he replied.

Selphie ran her hands down the side of Irvine's cheeks again, and sat up to give him a warm hug. She wasn't squeezing the life out of him like she usually did—rather, she was letting him know that he could breathe easy.

After his omission that, if prompted, he may've taken the life of one of their best friends just a few hours ago, Irvine was dumbstruck, and could only return the gesture as courtesy. He was all too confused to express his gratitude and affection for Selphie's reaction. The longer his arms hung around her, the heavier they became. He wasn't hugging her, he was hanging on to her, trying, if he could, to borrow just a fragment of her spirit.

"You know how I say everything's going to be okay all the time?" she asked. Irvine nodded.

"Well…I'm not so sure about this. Hearing your doubts has me worried. Hearing you doubt _at all_ has me worried. But, I'm glad you're telling me. If you didn't, I'd have no idea where you were, and then what? How could I tell you that you're not the only who's lost?" She reached over and took his hand in hers.

"They asked you to do this for a reason. Cid, Matron—they knew that you'd cock Exeter to ease some of the tension in situations like that. They knew you wouldn't shoot."

She scooted over to his other side, still inside of his trench coat, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I've known that, too. The guy I met a year ago in Galbadia; he definitely knew. He knew so well that as soon as he realized Matron was on that float, he 'choked' when he took that shot.

"That guy knew he could carry around a gun with no intent to kill. He could bring about change without firing a single bullet, and if he _had_ to fight, he wouldn't do it for anything he didn't believe in."

He heard everything she was saying, and he could process the meaning behind all of it, but he was still incapable of responding. The heaviness in his arms had spread to the rest of his body. Despite how tired the stress had made him, he managed to keep his eyes open. Selphie had more to say; she had more peace of mind to give; giving into the stress now was not an option.

Bordering on lethargic, Irvine felt two arms wrap wholly around his arm and begin to rub his shoulder.

"Do you know where you belong, Irvine?" she asked.

 _Where I belong?_

"I'm not sure what you mean…" he replied. He wished his response hadn't been one of indecision. She drew pause, and then nodded understandingly.

"Ok, that's alright," she replied.

"Wait, no, I wanna know what you mean. Where do I belong in all of this, Selphie? I—I thought I knew before Cid handed me that folder three days ago, but now…"

As he trailed off, she shifted behind him, still inside his coat, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Well, right now, you belong here. Specifically, sitting in the quad and relaxing. Everyone needs a break, right?" Irvine only sort of understood what she was saying.

 _Just imagine if I'd gone on that mission alone? Would we have come this far?_

Selphie nudged him, and Irvine snapped out of his inner monologue.

"You don't belong in your head. We've had that discussion. You belong outside, at the very least. Where you find yourself will change from moment to moment, but that's not what's most important. How you'll handle moving; how you'll handle the change, is what you're going to have to figure out."

 _Change…_

"Can you help me, Sefie?"

He'd expected to feel helpless after talking about all of this—he certainly had before breaching the subject. When he'd first let it all out, he'd felt weak and vulnerable—incapable of speaking another word. Now, his confidence still waned, but not withered, he found himself wanting. He wanted to have his old self-assuredness back. He wanted his swagger to return to his gate. More so, above all other things, he wanted—no, he needed—Selphie to help him reclaim them.

She nodded, and a calm, encouraging grin spread across her face.

"I'll be with you all the way. You'll be with me, too, right?" she asked him.

His hand shaking, he raised his hand to his hat, and tipped it to her.

"I'd be in serious trouble if I wasn't."

Irvine quickly took hold of both her hands. The same intuition that told him to follow her around the orphanage when they were young caught him off guard, and told him to hold her hands and _hold tight_. He might've been a little embarrassed, but he had no intention of letting go. Holding just as firmly, Selphie followed _her_ intuition, and took that boy—now a man—with her.

"Just remember that. We'll _always_ have each other, no matter what," she promised. The sharpshooter nodded as his hands steadied. His nerves calmed, and his confidence began to return after just a few minutes of talking with her. Reassured he was doing the right thing in all of this, his eyes began to water.

 _Come on, man. Don't cry._

She leaned forward, and they kissed longer than usual. Their bodies pressed up against each other in a way they hadn't before, because before now, they hadn't needed to feel this close to the other. The slow development of their relationship had allowed for different aspects to blossom in contrast to most people they knew. Feeling the other this close to them while they kissed was a game-changer, and they both knew it. They pulled away at the same time, and saw themselves in each other's eyes.

 _Well, definitely not gonna cry after that…_

"I feel better now," said Selphie, "Even though you still don't know where you belong, I feel better. Wherever you end up, I'll be there."

Irvine looked curiously at the little warrior, an amused eyebrow raised.

 _Seems like she was looking for something along the same lines I was._

 _She needed the same peace of mind I did, but she knew that she couldn't do it alone_.

 _None of us can, we'll all need each other at one point or another_.

 _Sly little devil; only she could have me mirin' just after being down in the dumps._

"So, do _you_ have an answer?" he asked. She nodded happily and smiled.

"I belong at the front," she replied.

"What?" he asked.

"The front lines. Be it fighting a monster, or striking up a conversation with a cute boy in a cowboy hat; I'm leading the charge, no matter what." Irvine felt himself start to choke up again. Any kind of change—for better or worse—she wasn't afraid of it.

"Then, if you feel like I'm not there, it's cause I'll be flanking you. I can stop trouble from a distance, remember? So, you might not see me all the time, but that'll be because I'm making sure whatever you might not be able to fix or fight is being taken care of."

"Oh? So, you think you've got a place in mind? Have an idea where you want to be?"

The sharpshooter shrugged.

 _Maybe…I'm following your lead, little lady._

Selphie smiled at his gesture and continued.

"I can't take care of Squall, but I can help Rinoa," she said without letting a moment pass.

 _If that's where she'll be…than I need to be with…_

"...So, you don't think I have anything to be afraid of? With Squall, I mean."

She shrugged this time.

"I'll bail you out if things get too tough. You'll flank me if there's an emergency with Rinoa, right?"

"Of course."

"For their sake, too, right?"

Irvine swallowed nervously, unable to give the answer he thought she wanted to hear. Selphie nodded, and smiled reassuringly.

"It's ok, you'll get there."

They came together and kissed again. They didn't want to let go, but weren't sure how to proceed from here.

 _How does someone top a conversation like that with anything else?_

"Irvine…" she whispered.

"Selphie?" She wrapped her arms around him again and nestled her head in between his shoulder and his neck. They held each other tight, with no intention of letting go. This is where they had to be, they had to pursue _this_ further. She seemed to know the way; she must've.

"I know I belong here, Selphie," he said without prompt.

"I belong here, too, Irvine."

They laid on the ground together, and the two of them made it so his coat now draped over them like a blanket. She took his cowboy hat off and put it on her head. They cuddled under the blanket, and Irvine assumed the position of the little spoon, as always.

"You know, I'm gonna teach Rinoa this."

"Is _that_ what you two were talking about before they left the party?"

"Mhm. What do you think?"

Irvine laughed and shook his head.

"Squall will never go for it. I'm still surprised they sleep in the same bed."

"Oh, he'll go for it. She's practically the big spoon already."

"That salmon rug might suggest she wears the pants, sure. But, when it comes down to who's which piece of silverware, that's where he'd draw the line."

"He's a bad artist, then. I'm gonna erase the crap out of that 'line', and he's _going_ to become her little spoon."

Her tone serious and determined, Irvine continued to laugh at where the conversation had veered off to.

"Betcha one-hundred gil it doesn't work," ventured Irvine.

"Deal!"

They shook on it, and she wrapped her arms around him again.

"Wanna spend tonight out under the stars?" he asked.

"Can I keep wearing the hat?"

With a groan, Irvine agreed.

"I just need it back for when I get started tomorrow."

"Then, yes, let's stay out here. Since you're gonna be gone for most of the day from tomorrow on, I _definitely_ need to wear this hat tonight." He turned to her and poked her nose.

"It's yours."

* * *

Ellone watched as Zell came into view under one of the lamps hanging above the walkway. His head hung, and a piece of jerky dangling loosely from his mouth; to say he looked miserable would've been an understatement.

"Zell?" she asked. He flinched back as he looked up to meet her eyes.

"Oh! Hey, Ellone. Didn't expect to see you out here."

"What're you doing out this late? Weren't you at the party with everyone?" she asked.

Zell shook his head. His hands in his pockets, he meandered back and forth within the space he stood.

"I've been on a walk since…well, it was barely noon when you all went to meet them on the third floor. So, a while. I've been on a walk for a while."

Ellone could see her childhood friend looked a little gaunt; he was drained from however long he'd been walking for.

"Have you eaten anything? They had hot dogs today in the cafeteria. You at least had some of those, right?"

Zell hung his hands over the guardrail and shook his head.

"You haven't eaten?!" she exclaimed.

Without looking up at her, he pulled out an empty box of beef jerky and threw it into a nearby garbage can.

"I'm down, but I'm not out," he answered with a slightly more jovial tone. Ellone walked over and perched up on the guardrail beside him.

"What's got _you_ down, of all people?" she asked.

The martial artist was reluctant to respond. He cracked his knuckles and awkwardly looked away before he let out a relenting sigh.

"I can't really talk about it." He spoke in a somber, hushed tone, fighting with his conscience over what he should say, if anything at all.

"Oh?" Ellone replied. Zell turned around and leaned back against the guardrail, now facing the White SeeD Commander.

"You ever have questions that you _really_ wish someone would answer?" he asked.

"Could you…be a little more specific?"

She knew he was hiding something. Behind his weary eyes, stirred a need for resolution—some kind of closure, or even comfort. If she could provide him with any of that, Ellone would need her spiky-haired friend to elaborate.

Zell was drawing a blank on how to respond without revealing the conversations he'd had with Squall in Balamb the day before, and at the front gate earlier. He'd had an answer just a moment ago, but now he found himself caring slightly less and less for it. Staring into Ellone's brown-doe eyes—further distinguished by her eggshell white uniform—he felt himself growing slightly calmer, and nervous at the same time.

"Zell?" she asked, noticing he'd seemed to drift off.

 _Oh crap, how long have I been staring?_

He leaned forward from the guardrail and quickly paced over to the opposite side of the walkway. Desperate for any kind of segue, he just pushed forward with his question from before.

 _Just don't look into her eyes for too long, idiot._

"Like…you ever want to know something really badly, only to wish you'd never asked about it to begin with?"

The White SeeD Commander looked at her friend in slight shock from the depth of his question.

 _Is Zell Dincht about to get introspective on me?_

"Like, 'be careful what you wish for.' That's what that means, right?" he asked again, genuinely unsure. She smiled softly and nodded, and his posture loosened up a little.

"That's happening to me, but, like a million times worse than the guy who thought up the phrase."

Unable to hold back her laughter at this point—Zell was quite charming when he was confused—Ellone chuckled, only to quickly cover her mouth as Zell's expression went from worried to upset.

"Oh, Zell, I'm not laughing at you!" she rushed to assure him. Zell shook his head again, and then leaned back against the other guardrail.

"I know you're not. I think if three days ago, someone told me I'd be feeling this way, or asking these kinds of questions, I'd have told 'em they had me confused for someone else. But, here I am, three days later, and now I'm that guy." He folded his arms over his chest and kicked at the walkway, frustrated.

"This other guy sucks!" he exclaimed.

Ellone tilted her head sympathetically at her frustrated friend, and walked over to him. When she went to place her hand on his shoulder, he flinched, taking them both aback.

 _Hyne, he's jumpy. Even for Zell…_

Zell tried to recover and stood back up quickly.

 _The hell, Zell?_

 _You've been mopin' around all day, avoiding everyone; now you're face to face with someone who could probably help, and you're jumpin' around like a frickin' idiot!_

He looked back to her, and was about to explain his strange behavior with some poorly made up excuse. Before he could even get the words out, though, from where Ellone stood, the ring floating above Garden was positioned right above her, giving off the illusion of a halo. The combination of the illuminated blue and gold reflected off of her uniform, and his eyes couldn't help but drift back down towards hers. The aurora-like canvas her uniform provided projected them even more than before, and Zell felt his heartbeat speed up.

… _Damn it, Dincht!_

Overwhelmed—not to mention confused for a whole slew of new reasons—the martial artist about-faced and began walking hastily out towards the front gate.

"Zell? Where are you going?" asked Ellone, somehow more perplexed than she had been before. He stopped, turned back around, and walked right back to exactly where he'd just been standing.

"I've been trying to figure that out all damn day!" he exclaimed. Faster than Ellone could register, Zell punched the guardrail, leaving a dent in the metal railing. Anyone else would've been howling in pain, cradling their hand, insisting for immediate medical attention. Zell just let out another frustrated grunt, then turned to face Ellone.

"I'm sorry. I wish you weren't seeing me like this," he apologized.

"Seeing you like what? Mad?"

The martial artist nodded, and then rested his chin on top of his bandaged fist.

"I really wish I could talk to you about it. I think that's what's making me so mad; I can't even go to my friends about it." Ellone leaned back next to where Zell had bashed in the guardrail and empathized.

"Been there," she said. Zell rolled his eyes and smacked the middle of his head with an open palm.

"Hyne, you must be hearing me and thinking I've got nothing to complain about." Ellone shook her head and gave him a small smile.

"No, it's because I've been there that I understand what you're feeling, Zell. I don't want to pry; my whole life has been nothing but people prying into my problems. Obviously, you know how that all went," she said with a quiet chuckle. Zell couldn't help but crack a smile at her comment.

Garden's ring still shined down above her, and even though she had moved from where it created the illusion that she was an angel, the image was ingrained into Zell's head. Rather than be distracted by the new light in which he was seeing her—which he couldn't even try to understand right now —he decided to ask for advice from the one person who might understand his dilemma the most.

"So…So, you know what this is like? How it feels to know something no one else does…or can?" he asked. She nodded, rubbing her hands together to compensate for the bad memories it brought about, along with the conversation she'd _just_ had with Laguna regarding the same subject.

"Do I ever."

"How did you deal with it? You know, without talking to anyone about it?"

"I would talk around it."

The martial artist squinted, as though he were inspecting her response in hopes to understand it.

"Uncle Laguna taught me that. It was the day I realized that I was an orphan, that I'd actually once had parents. Raine and Laguna weren't my _real_ parents, and I cried and cried over two people I'd never met, but I couldn't understand why.

"And, you know Laguna...not necessarily the best with words, despite having such a big mouth." She drew pause in her explanation as tidbits of memories ran in and out of her head; little portraits of Laguna scratching the back of his head when he didn't know what to do or what to say before making a foolhardy, but always well intended attempt to say the right thing to someone.

"So, whenever I'd start to cry, he would try to explain it all to me, but in really broad terms. Instead of saying how and why they died, he'd say they did what any good parent would do for their little girl. It was that, or tell me that they were shot by Estharian soldiers because Adel was looking for a successor and my parents wouldn't let them take me.

"I started to take pride in my parents, and became really happy that, even though they had died, they did what _good_ parents would do. I had _good parents_ who did the right thing. That's what I knew, and that's what helped me.

"When I got older, I obviously couldn't tell the White SeeDs the details of my powers; of what I'd seen, what I knew, what I was trying to do, so, I'd just talk in as broad of terms as possible when I wanted to get something off of my chest. In my mind, I was talking about my problems, but to them, I could've been venting about anything."

"Anything?"

"Anything." Ellone laughed at the end of her explanation, realizing how ridiculous it might've sounded if she had said it to someone else.

Squall would've scoffed at the idea of talking with someone at all. Quistis would've seen it as unhelpful, and a form of denial, which is unhealthy. Irvine might've understood, but he might see it as lying by omission because of all the details left out. Selphie would love the idea, but being as direct as she was, if she switched over to talk _around_ things instead of about them, people would have an even harder time understanding her reasoning for…well, anything. But, when Ellone looked to her side and saw some of Zell's confidence returning upon hearing her proposal, she knew she'd made the right choice in deciding to tell _him_ about it.

 _Rinoa might understand it, too. We'll cross that bridge…_

"So, around it, huh?" asked Zell.

"Right, around it. Say whatever you feel comfortable saying, or that you think might be okay to say, but be as vague as possible." Zell rested up against the guardrail and looked up at the floating ring.

 _I can do this…_

"So, I'm really torn up about this...thing that happened recently," he began. Ellone grinned and gave him an encouraging thumbs up. Zell nodded, and continued.

"I had a talk with this guy about a thing. He was really dead-set on doing something if something went wrong with…something, and it scared me." He looked at Ellone to gauge whether he was doing well from her expression. She nodded, and gestured for him to keep going.

"So, I told him that he didn't have to do it, that I might be able to help him figure something out if something went wrong with…something.

"But, he wasn't interested in other options. We got wrapped up in the conversation, saying we were going to do what we thought was best, no matter what. For me, that included my offer to help him. But, it also meant that I'd be ready for the worst if he did the...scary thing.

"Now, he thinks he can only talk to me about it, even though he still hasn't agreed to let me help him. He's just using me as a means to an end. He was never like that before, but now he's gotten really…I don't know. He's changed, and I used to think it was for the better. But, now…"

"Now what?" asked Ellone.

Zell swallowed nervously, and then answered.

"Now, there's another person who knows about our conversation, and they're saying they can help. But, I don't know them! I mean, I do, sort of, but at the same time, I—"

"Wait, stop!" Ellone interrupted once more. Zell abruptly stopped talking, and Ellone smiled sympathetically at her childhood friend.

"If you were anyone else, I wouldn't have been able to figure out what, or, _who_ you're talking about." Zell sighed and drooped his torso forward, hanging his head and arms down in front of him.

"But, you did great, Zell, really! In fact, I really don't know _what_ you talked about, just with who. Even though I know what the third person you mentioned is here to do, I still don't know what your conversation with—

"You can say his name, Ellone," interjected Zell, glumly.

The White SeeD commander walked over to the martial artist and patted him on the back.

"I don't know what you talked about with Squall, but I can't imagine any conversation with him as of late being easy."

"Hyne, you have no idea." Zell sat up and looked back at Ellone, nodding thankfully before turning to walk back towards the blue fields.

"Wait!" she called out to him once more.

"Ellone, I don't…"

She ran up to him, unexpectedly cheerful, especially at a time like this. Zell didn't understand what she was doing, but once their eyes met, he didn't really care. He'd almost forgotten as to why he was leaving in the first place, because who would think to leave when they could spend more time with...Ellone.  
 _I have no idea what's going on._

"We have a bunch of dried food on the ship that we need to get rid of. You need something to take your mind off of this, even a little bit. Want to help me raid the stash?" she asked hopefully.

Zell's stomach suddenly rumbled—though it could've passed for a roar—and he remembered all he'd had to eat since noon was a box of beef jerky.

"I could definitely use a distraction from all of this."

 _This, and how the hell I never noticed that Ellone is…_

 _Gah, I need a distraction from_ that _, too!_

"Yes, please. Food, now." Before they started off towards the ship, Zell reached out and rested his hand on Ellone's shoulder.

"Um…thanks. I think I would've gone crazy if I hadn't run into you tonight. You really pulled me out of a rut."

She didn't respond. Instead, Ellone turned her attention to Zell's semi-healed hand on her shoulder, and he nervously pulled it away.

"Uh, well, come on! Let's get some grub!" As Balamb Garden's martial arts instructor raced off towards the White SeeD ship to hide his blush, he'd wound up missing Ellone's as well. Still fixated on her shoulder, she slowly began to follow him, and a thought crossed her mind that would stay with her throughout the night.

 _Hard to think those hands could bend metal…_

 _With a heart so soft, you'd need fists like those to protect it._

… _I can help protect it too, Zell._

* * *

Rinoa had once read somewhere that eating bread, or drinking coffee could help someone sober up after a night of drinking. However, the magazine didn't have anything pertaining to any magic words that could lift a person's inebriation. While she had no way of verifying, she was sure it was because no one had ever told the author that they loved them.

 _Sucks to be them._

Her sympathies for the unknown writer came and went, as the three words Squall uttered in the ballroom without even a second thought began playing in her head once more.

 _He said he loves me._

 _Squall Leonhart loves someone, and it's_ me!

Many had thought the sentiment was a given between the two since their return home, and it was, as far as Rinoa was concerned. She couldn't have imagined Squall actually _saying_ he loved her, though; the idea had been that he would _show_ her he loved her through various mannerisms: smiling, hugging, asking how her day was, making conversation in general. These were all things that would appear insignificant to most—anyone, rather.

But, Rinoa knew otherwise. Or, at least she thought she had; Squall had just blown away her expectations completely, and now, as he finished washing up in the bathroom, she hurried to find the most flattering nightgown she had.

Her plan to say it back to him didn't revolve around sex—though she wanted her first time uttering those words, and his first time hearing them, to be the best in _every_ possible way. No matter what would transpire after he came out and saw her, the night would end with her casually saying, "Oh, Squall? I love you, too."

She giggled to herself over the silliness of her plan. When she stumbled across her satin red nightgown, she suddenly couldn't remember if she'd painted her toenails red or not. Matching was a must–especially for tonight.

 _Wait, I always paint them red._

… _Yay!_

Before she could take off her duster, she heard a muffled laugh from the bathroom.

 _Huh? What's he giggling about?_

… _Wait, Squall's_ giggling _?_

 _How is this suddenly the greatest day?!_

Rinoa stood still by the closet, listening intently just in case her boyfriend were to make anymore cute, for-her-ears-only noises.

Her Knight seemed to be talking to himself. Squall had rarely revealed the details of his inner monologues to anyone, even her, but if she had to guess, he was having one out loud. His voice was constant, but his exact words faded in and out as though he were pacing back and forth in the bathroom.

 _But, I don't hear any footsteps…_

She cleared her head and continued to listen closely to whatever it was he was saying to himself.

"I can't believe I actually said it. I didn't have any intention on saying it _tonight_. Maybe when the rings came back; that would've been more appropriate. She likes spontaneity, though, so there's that…"

Rinoa's heart fluttered again at the thought of their matching rings. Before she could get too caught up in how much she was going to relish in wearing them together again, his voice came back through.

"What about what I…in Balamb…

"…Zell and the others…

"I should tell her…but, what if…

"…Maybe it's for the best."

What had probably been a series of long, constructive thoughts had come through the door in bits and pieces too small for Rinoa to piece together.

 _What else happened in Balamb?_

The door to the bathroom opened, and Squall emerged while attempting to mask the mischievous smirk on his face.

"I think I'm just gonna go to bed," he said nonchalantly, feigning a yawn. Turning on his heel, the Commander beelined for their bed and sat down to take off his boots. He kept glancing up at Rinoa while slowly unbuckling them. She, however, couldn't make heads or tails of his behavior. It wasn't until her blank expression changed to show her confusion that Squall stopped in the middle of taking off his right boot and began to look confused himself.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"…You just want to go to sleep?" They were the only words that could come to mind in the moment, and Squall shook his head, his smirk returning.

"Ok, maybe I heard what you were saying while I finished up in the bathroom. You know, about what you were going to say right before we went to bed. Maybe I wanted to throw you off a little—but, not _this_ off. I guess that counts as me ruining two moments, now, right?" he replied with a nervous laugh.

The young Sorceress stared back at her Knight. Wide eyed, and unsure if she was more confused, or flat-out scared, she pressed him to elaborate on what she had "said" just a few moments ago.

"You heard me?" she asked. Squall could see she wasn't particularly enthused, but when he sensed she was afraid of something, he proceeded with caution.

"Yeah. Is that—I'm sorry, I wasn't listening in on purpose, honestly," he apologized.

Listening in wasn't what Rinoa was particularly concerned with.

"Squall…I haven't said a word since you went into the bathroom." The Commander raised a playfully skeptical eyebrow to his love, but the insistent, growing worry in her eyes quickly told him this was not a time for play.

"Rinoa, I heard you clear as day. You were going to say…you know, right before we went to sleep. It'd be after whatever we'd do after I saw you in…that." He gestured nervously over to the enticing red nightgown, and Rinoa's grip on it tightened ten-fold.

"You heard all of that?" she asked again. This time Squall only nodded, and the young Sorceress pulled out the chair to his desk and sat down to collect herself.

"Rin, what's wrong? I don't understand what the problem is," he asked, concerned over what was troubling her.

He knelt down beside her and took her hand, and she turned to meet his eyes. He was confused, but moreover, he didn't just want to know what was going on—he _needed_ to know. It wasn't just for the sake of understanding. Squall wanted to protect her from whatever was causing her even the slightest bit of inconvenience.

"Squall, why do you look so…troubled, all of a sudden? Are _you_ ok?" she asked. He nodded dutifully, and continued to stroke her hand. Unsure of how to put into words what she feared had just happened, Rinoa took in a deep breath before responding to his questions.

" _Can you hear me?"_ she thought. Her lips hadn't moved, but the words traveled nonetheless. As soon as she'd thought them, Squall quickly looked up; his expression mirroring hers exactly.

"Rinoa...when? How? What is this?" he asked. Squall wasn't one to show vulnerability, but inside his head was his last safe haven from the world. Even Rinoa, with whom he'd shared anything and everything he could bring himself to say aloud, inside his mind was where he could prepare himself to do it. With that threshold gone, his panic grew exponentially, and now Rinoa was the one looking to console him _._

"Squall, I don't know, but try to relax, ok?"

She went to his side to take hold of his hand. Almost immediately, his breathing steadied, and the worry in his eyes began to fade.

"So…we can communicate telepathically, all of a sudden?" he asked. The young Sorceress shrugged and gave a small frown.

"I don't know. I mean, you heard my thoughts earlier, and again just now…" Rinoa stopped as a thought came back to her from moments before Squall had entered the room.

 _What else happened in Balamb?_

Squall's eyes immediately filled with worry again. But, this time, he wasn't worried about what was troubling his girlfriend. His expression was wrought with guilt, and Rinoa sensed—literally and figuratively—that he was hiding something from her.

"…You heard…that?" he asked her nervously.

"Would I not have otherwise?" she replied, a little put-off. The prospect of Squall keeping anything from her immediately made her suspicious, and she began pressing him to further explain. Squall could only stare back blankly. He needed to buy himself more time so he could find the right words to explain what he and Zell had discussed. Unable to actually think to _himself_ , though, he quickly rose up from the ground and hurriedly walked to the other side of the room.

"Squall, what's going on?"

His back turned to her, in quick bursts of thought, Squall recalled the times he had communicated with Ellone via what she referred to as "the link." While images flashed in Rinoa's mind of what he might have been thinking, he pieced together a plan that went against every protocol he followed as a soldier—particularly a tactician like himself.

 _Ellone said she would "sever" the link…_

 _How? She used her powers to establish and then break them._

 _...Do we have those, now?_

Rinoa had already heard his thoughts, and even communicated with him. His attempt to hide what he was thinking from her by scattering his thoughts was working, but he could feel her presence in his mind, and she was growing frustrated. He had to be quick; he didn't want to sever what might be a key part of their developing bond. But, to have someone in his head at all times _,_ even Rinoa—the woman who'd changed his life for the better entirely—was a compromise he couldn't make.

He slowly turned to her. Displeased, a look of frustration he'd only seen when they'd first met gradually intensified. Swallowing his nerves, Squall attempted to will away the sudden mental connection between them. Ignoring his heart and allowing his natural instinct to protect himself take the lead, he felt her presence slowly fade from his mind. As her essence slipped away, a part of him screamed out for her to come back. His desire to be with her in any and every way possible thrashed about violently within, but his mind remained calm, assuring the young Knight that this was necessary. They needed to have control of these powers before letting them become a part of their lives.

Rinoa's scowl slowly faded. Distressed, scared, _vulnerable,_ she immediately reached back out to reestablish the link. Through her superior magic, but also a fear bordering on panic, she succeeded. Squall grabbed the sides of his head as he felt her presence return; his mind was no longer his own.

 _"Never mind Balamb,"_ Rinoa communicated. _"What happened just_ now? _"_

Squall considered whether or not he should try to sever the link once more, but decided against it. He had already been trying to avoid confessing his conversation with Zell to Rinoa; avoiding talking about her new power—which had somehow passed on to _him_ as well—could only make things worse. Giving up the fight to keep her out of his mind, he answered her honestly.

" _I...I wanted to see if I could control it,"_ he responded telepathically. Rinoa shot to her feet and stomped to the center of the room.

"By pushing me out?!" she yelled. Squall flinched back, not expecting her to speak aloud. It had been just minutes—every single one of which he'd spent in fear of this new ability they shared—but on some level, he'd already accepted that that was how things were going to be from then on out.

"No," he began, choosing his words carefully, "I didn't want to 'push you out'. I wanted to see if there was just a way to stay out of the other's head. I wasn't forcing you to leave. If anything, I was trying to pull away."

"Oh, because that's _so_ much better!" she spat back.

Squall furrowed his eyebrows, annoyed by her tone. It carried traces of the spoiled little girl he'd met in Timber; someone who didn't understand why he acted the way he did, and wasn't game to listen. Someone he'd thought had grown up, and now understood him more than anyone else.

"Rinoa...please. I don't think I'm being unreasonable. Would you want _me_ inside your head all the time? Able to probe your every thought, if I so chose?"

Unlike the cold, rude, aloof boy he'd been upon venturing to Timber, Squall was trying to his best to hold on to what he'd learned from Rinoa during the past year.

"Of course not," she replied after returning her expression to a scowl. "But, my first reaction wouldn't have been to run away from you, either!"

 _That's fair…_

"I know it's fair!" she lumped on. Squall shook his head out of surprise, forgetting the link was still established between them.

"That's what I mean! I was going to say that! But, if you can hear my thoughts before I can say anything, how's that going to help things between us?!" he retorted.

The young Sorceress stepped back upon hearing those last words.

"Things between us? What _things_ between us?"

That struck a nerve. For just a moment, it seemed she'd forgotten everything they'd been working so diligently, not to mention stressing and losing sleep over, to fix was completely lost on her. Deja vu, it was the Timber radio tower all over again; he lost his temper.

"What things between us? Where've you been the past six months?!" he shouted back. The change in his tone was sharp, and to Rinoa, a bit resentful. Once Squall saw the hurt in her eyes, the words played back in his head. He'd just crossed a line that he'd spent the past year demanding others avoid even treading near. When he saw her bottom lip start to quiver, he grabbed at the sides of his head again, furious with himself. He'd made her cry; he'd made the one person he not only would love for the rest of his life, but would protect and die for in an instant, cry.

 _Hyne, no...please. Let me take it back. Please! I...I didn't have a chance to—_

A gentle hand took hold of his shoulder, and he looked back into the same big brown eyes that he'd lost himself in that night in the Garden ballroom. They were a little puffy—she _had_ been on the verge of tears, after all—but upon hearing his desperate pleas and exponentially wracked guilt he'd brought upon himself in just seconds, they were more concerned than anything else. His heart was still, and his mind was empty. The Commander of Balamb Garden, the Sorceress's Knight, and the man who'd led the charge against Ultimecia just over a year ago, was but putty in Rinoa's hands, ready to be molded into anything she desired.

She couldn't see the man who'd saved her, who she'd sworn her eternal love to, in that moment. She didn't know who this man was. She'd seen Squall scared, overwhelmed, even panicked, but never so horrifyingly _desperate_.

"Squall...what's happening to you?" she asked quietly. Her words brought him back to reality. His bearings back, his mind slowly began to function as it always had. Once he'd processed her question, he responded, unsure how she'd react to his words.

"...I never want to make you cry," he replied in a hushed tone. She knew there had to be more. Squall took her silence as a cue to elaborate, as she'd intended.

"...Or feel pain. I don't even want you to feel scared—for _any_ reason. But if I'm the cause of those things...then I'm a failure."

"A failure?" she echoed back quickly. The young Knight nodded.

"Squall, we're having a fight. I mean, it's a little—er, a lot more complicated than that—but this is _just_ a fight. Couples fight."

"We're not an ordinary couple," he replied. "You said it yourself, it's more complicated than that." Rinoa shook her head at his words.

"But, we're still eighteen." Those words didn't register with the Commander.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we're going to fight. We're going to fight when we're in our thirties, and our forties, whatever. But, right now, we're eighteen." She could see Squall still wasn't making the connection between their age and their circumstance. However, returning to the words that almost made her cry to begin with, she realized there were factors _she_ wasn't connecting either.

 _The past six months…_

Recalling the three events that had brought their worst fears to the forefront, she could see how her avoiding talking about it with anyone other than Squall—and even that was sparse at best—had taken it's toll. He must've been worried sick about her every minute since the first incident, let alone the two that followed. The "things between them" he'd referred to, she'd thought they only affected her. To have taken this kind of toll on him, she could only wonder what conclusions he'd drawn over the whole thing. She had been waiting for the right moment to finally seek council from Edea, but Squall wasn't one to wait.

Or talk.

"Squall, what's wrong? Normally this is when _I_ freak out. You look positively awful. What's the matter?" She stood up and held out her hand to him.

"Let me help you for once." The young Knight looked up at her and smiled, but then turned down her offer.

"You've helped me more than I could ever tell you," he said, leaning back against the dresser next to their bed. Disappointed he hadn't taken her hand, she stepped over his legs and sat on their bed, pulling her knees up to her chest. Squall noticed the way she was sitting and chuckled.

" _You're_ chuckling?" she asked, an eyebrow playfully raised.

"I just remember whenever you sat that way, even before Ragnarok, I had this urge to just…" He ran his gloved hand across his forehead, wiping away the sweat he'd broke into just moments before.

"...Just scoop you up into my arms, and carry you. Might've started right after D-District or so..." A glimmer of playful mischief sparkled in his eye, but Rinoa put her foot out, lightly pushing him back towards the floor before he could follow through on his nostalgic whim.

"You've carried me around plenty, Leonhart. It's my turn to support you." Squall's smile slowly faded, but at least there was no sign of distress, from what Rinoa could tell.

"So, as much as I love knowing that you wanted to do that even back then, and the fact that you're actually laughing, you were about to say something to me before…" The Commander sighed, and slowly rose to his feet.

"It's not important," he mumbled. Rinoa immediately shot up from the bed and grabbed Squall by the arm.

"Yes it is. I know that voice. That was about to head into a pretty heavy lecture; I was about to get my ass handed to me for being oblivious to something vital."

"Maybe…" he replied. She shook his arm, urging him to continue. He looked down at the ground and away from her before speaking again.

"It's what I said after that, though, that's more important. How I can never be the source of your pain. What's been going on the past six months, it's been scary. I was afraid of losing you, that, Hyne forbid, we'd all have to do something drastic to save you. And if we couldn't, then…"

While Squall took a breath before continuing, Rinoa nestled up closer to his side. The turn the night had taken was far from ideal. This was the night he'd told her he loved her, and she'd hoped to do the same. But, there was another aspect of their lives that had decided to develop without consulting them, and she wasn't going to let the fears she'd harbored over it—that had driven her into isolation—get in the way of dealing with it any longer.

"If we couldn't…" Squall continued, "then it wouldn't matter." Still close to him, but at a loss to his words, she stared at her Knight, hoping he'd take her silence as a cue to elaborate further. When he met her eyes and nodded, it was clear that he not only saw it as such, but that he may've _sensed_ that's what she wanted.

"Should the worst ever happen, I'd be by your side. If one day—" He reached out and took hold of her hands, "a flick of your wrist was the difference between life or death, I'd—"

Rinoa immediately pulled her hands away and cautiously stepped away.

"Squall, don't…" she warned. The young Knight shook his head, and then folded his arms across his chest.

"It's not what I want, and I know it's not what you want either. But, if you decided to never speak to Matron about it, if these incidents kept going unchecked—SeeD would _have_ to take action. Our friends would _have_ to follow suit.

"...But they'd need a new Commander." In his mind, Squall had shown just how much he would do to protect her, to stay by Rinoa's side and keep her safe from harm. On his cheek, however, was a firmly placed handprint telling him the very woman he'd sworn to protect thought otherwise.

"What's the matter with you?! How can you say such things, Squall?! What did you think was going to happen before Griever came here?!" she yelled. Normally a slap across the face followed by yelling would elicit similar distress on his part, but he remained calm in light of her outrage.

"I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't _want_ any of that to happen, but that doesn't mean I wasn't prepared for—"

"What about what Quistis said earlier?! About reaching out to us, trying to bring us back out of this shell we've put ourselves in?!

"Even if she _hadn't_ said any of those things; even if Irvine, Selphie, and Ellone hadn't gone to Centra to bring Griever here—on Cid and Edea's behest, at that—how could you _possibly_ think that was a viable answer to all of this?!"

Squall's expression grew stern, serious to a tee.

"An answer isn't the same as a solution. It's just a possible route to take once—"

"Spare me the tactical layout of your horrible idea, Squall!"

The Commander grimaced, but finished his answer through gritted teeth.

"It's a _possible_ route to take...should things not go as we all hope." Squall quickly unfolded his arms and readied himself to deflect another slap. He'd sensed her growing anger, and just as he responded, she'd sensed his apprehension towards her, even if it was only to spare his face another imprint of her hand. Conflicted emotions and further inability of what to make of the situation was rising within both of them, and now that they could hear each other's thoughts, they were being provided with additional information that was only making things worse.

A strange sensation shot up Rinoa's sides. It was empowering, but uninvited, bearing a resemblance to when, in particularly bleak battles, she'd called upon a then-newfound power of hers to turn the tides. The difference was she would give herself over to that power only for a short time; it was her choice. She hadn't thought about these powers since they'd returned from the future, but her body—her subconscious, rather—had different plans. Struggling to halt it from spreading throughout her—to keep her Angel Wings at bay—she pushed forward, hoping to change Squall's outlook, or at least deter it. It would calm her down, and her body wouldn't feel the need to utilize these dormant, uncontrollable powers—or so she hoped.

"Squall, that is _not_ an alternative for us. It wasn't before today, and it's especially not now. We can't afford to lose our friends in this. Even if I did go _that far_ off the edge, they would—"

"No, they wouldn't," he quickly interjected. Rinoa drew pause, incapable of coming up with an answer, let alone a way to process his words. While she struggled to get back into the fray, the strange sensation rising within her continued to stir. Squall didn't seem to notice, and shook his head, a guilt ridden frown falling upon his face.

"I didn't want to tell you this. I didn't think it was necessary, considering neither of us actually want that to happen. But, just like how Quistis tried to talk to you, Zell tried to talk to me in Balamb. At first, all I did was thank him for being supportive, but from then out, I would accept full responsibility for anything that might...go awry.

"When he challenged my stance, I told him about your visions...and how they might be premonitions of the future. He balked at the idea, but he doesn't know what we do, or even what little Matron knows. He doesn't know how real they felt to you, and didn't understand it when I tried to explain it. He didn't want to. He just kept swearing his resolution to us over and over and over...until finally, he…"

Squall looked over at Rinoa, who was no longer making eye contact with him. Both of her hands were crossed over her chest. Her heart was racing, her temper rising, and her attempts to suppress her growing powers were waning with every word out of her Knight's mouth.

"Rinoa...what's happening? You look...is everything—"

"—Just finish your story…" Rinoa responded blankly. Common sense would indicate that finishing that very story might set her off. But, common sense, or any type of practicality, really, didn't apply when it came to Squall's unyielding desire to please Rinoa. He'd do anything she asked of him.

"...I told him that, should the worst happen, I knew who I would stand by through it all." Rinoa nodded slowly as she processed Squall's words in a new light.

"And him?" she asked, her voice tired, fading fast. She was expending all of her energy to suppress her Angel Wings from spurring, to the point where Squall was only picking up on her emotional distress, and not the insatiable magic trying to engulf her. Perhaps if he hadn't been so blind as to just answer whatever she requested of him, he may've had the foresight to stop and address it.

"He said he'd see us on the battlefield."

The young Sorceress slowly rose to her feet, and reached out both hands to her Knight's. Without question, Squall took them in his. Upon contact, however, he fell to his knees. This was nothing like when she had protruded his mind, or he hers. She was strengthening the link between them, making it almost empathic. He wasn't about to obtain the kind of power she had, but he could sense the forces rising within her, and he tried his damndest to pull her back before it was too late.

"Rin, no! It...it didn't end on that! Don't...please, Rin, you need to stop this!" The young Sorceress tightened her grip and knelt down to meet his eyes. When he looked up, he had to squint to keep from being blinded. Rinoa's entire body was illuminated by a powerful white light. Long, full bodied wings protruded from behind her, ripping through the fabric of her shirt. The worst part, for him at least, was her loving, full brown eyes were now a pale, soulless white; her pupils were entirely masked by the energy that enveloped her.

"So...they'll betray us, my love?" she asked. It was her voice, but the Rinoa he'd always known was not kneeling in front of him. She'd never spoken when she called upon her Angel Wings. It was power personified, unleashed on the condition that it would be brief, and withdraw into her at her behest. Now, _it_ was in control of _her_ , and this incarnation of her sorcery had an agenda.

"Rinoa...they don't want to—"

"But, they _will_ , is what you wanted to say, right?" she interrupted. Squall shook his head, and though it pained him to speak further, he pressed on.

"I only wanted to say that...no matter what, I'll be there for you. I'll protect you from everyone...everything." The angel-winged woman nodded, flashing a pleased smile. It was _not_ Rinoa that was smiling back at him.

This force that occupied her body, it was happy to know that he would protect its host, but it had intentions that Rinoa would never have dreamed of. The premonitions were its own, not hers, but as long as it resided within her, she would be the one to carry them out. And Squall would be tasked to protect her.

"So...the SeeDs would be foolish enough to eventually turn on their comrades?"

 _You're not Rinoa...Get out!_

The Sorceress sneered and laughed quietly to herself.

"My Knight, if you're so stuck on who you think 'Rinoa' is, perhaps it's best you sit this battle out…"

 _Battle?_

Still at eye level with him, with a flick of her wrist she threw Squall across the room, sending him crashing through their thin wooden closet doors. On the floor, he laid holding his side, right where Hesiod had cut him in Balamb. The wound hadn't reopened, but the brunt of the impact had landed there, and he struggled to even sit up. Aside from enduring such a blow while unjunctioned, Rinoa hadn't pulled back on her hold of his mind. She lingered, and as she got up to walk towards the door, she stopped to address him once more.

"When you rise...you'll know where to find me." The light that surrounded her body quickly dissipated. She shoved her hands into her pockets, slid her feet into her combat boots, and withdrew her wings behind her to hide them as best she could. Willing the door open, she took one last look back before she stepped out into the hall. Squall looked up, into the eyes of the woman who sat upon the throne of stone. Golden irises that had been shared by many a Sorceress since the dawn of magic looked back at him. In her unveiling to the world, the Sorceress that Rinoa's powers wanted her to become smiled wickedly at her Knight before turning to walk out into the main corridor.

Squall struggled to sit up, until he finally managed to grab onto his desk chair nearby.

" _Rinoa...come back, please!"_ His attempt to reach out to her was returned with a forceful mental blow, jerking his head to the side and banging it into the chair.

 _What have I done?_

 _I need...I need to stop her._

Rinoa's laughter came through and reverberated through his mind. It scared him, but hearing her voice at all always soothed him on some level. The latter feeling was what the Sorceress would use to her advantage.

" _No, rest, my Knight. When I am done, I'll instruct you as how to help me."_

" _When you're done? Rin, what're you—"_

The link was cut, and Squall grabbed at his temples to offset the quick jolt he received from it. He had little time to recuperate, as the marble walls of Garden reflected the sounds of bodies hitting the floor with heavy thuds, and voices he couldn't make out suddenly hollering in pain—agony, even—traveled through the dorms.

" _No! The White SeeDs!"_ He struggled to pull himself up, until an all too familiar set of voices followed almost immediately.

"Which way did she go?!" demanded Quistis. An indistinguishable voice responded, and the Head Instructor of Balamb turned her attention to those who were with her.

"Get them all to the infirmary on the double! Selphie, Irvine, we need to stop her!"

"I've already called Griever. He's on his way down here," stated Irvine.

"What're we gonna do?! We can't fight Rinny!" Selphie exclaimed.

"No, we can't _kill_ Rinoa. Whatever's happening, she just effortlessly threw a dozen White SeeDs around like toys. We need to neutralize her until Griever gets here!" Save the Queen cracked against the floor, Strange Vision was fully extended, and Exeter was locked and loaded. The three quickly ran out of the main hall and out to front gate, and adrenaline brought on by fear of the worst surged through the Commander. With a firm tug, he used momentum to pull himself up. He was still holding his side, and he cast Curaga on himself, hoping to ease some of the pain.

 _Better than nothing…_

 _Rin...I did this to you...I need to save you!_

Squall was stopped again by the sound of who he assumed were Balamb SeeDs making a commotion, until they suddenly all fell silent.

"Who're you?!" asked one of them. Heavy footsteps slowly echoed throughout the halls before the person in question replied.

"An ally." Griever's deep voice sent chills down Squall's spine. He didn't know what the others would do while fighting Rinoa, but he didn't want to know what _he_ would do. The young Knight stumbled through his doorway and down the halls, as the Knight of old continued forward. Both headed towards the front gate to confront Rinoa, but only one would succeed in what they set out to do.

* * *

 _Yeah, this is going down. I love me some fluff, but we all knew this was coming in some form or another sooner or later._

 _Shoutout to **Maxton** , and **elipitt15** for following, and to **siobahne, Summoner Luna, Silentstarlightsky, & Maxton **for your wonderfully encouraging reviews!_ _The R &R's mean the world to us writers, folks; don't hesitate to drop a line and let me know what you think :D_

 _Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and sorry for the delay. Been super-duper busy with my band(s), but, while we're on the subject, thank you so much to everyone who checked out my cover of "Premonition"! It's blown up on my channel, and I love to see the VIII fandom coming out from all different places to enjoy eachother's work (hence my joining this site, lol.) Here's the link to the video if anyone is interested in checking it out!_

watch?v=tUsEvl0FjPk

Until next time! Take care!


	17. Be Afraid

**Chapter 16: Be Afraid…**

* * *

 ****Against the first phase of dawn, the Sorceress' luminous aura could be seen for miles out. If she had chosen to venture through the quad, the light would've pierced the dormitory windows, and every rumor that Squall, Quistis, and Xu had worked so hard to discredit would've been affirmed. They had all been absurd; charged by pubescent wiles and loads of misinformation, but they all had the same message: Rinoa is a threat, Rinoa is dangerous, and Rinoa is evil. While the light around her pulsed around as she lazily strode towards the front gate, the white energy that had consumed her eyes remained constant. It looked as though the sclera of her eye had spread over her pupils, but really they were covered by whatever this force was that had suddenly possessed her. Swarthy gold irises hid behind the veils; the Sorceress only wanted her Knight to see who she'd become, or rather, who she was _becoming_.

Despite it all, tears were streaming out over her lashes. By decree of sorcery they quickly disappeared, hiding from the world that Rinoa was fighting this from the furthest depths of her mind. The real Rinoa screamed and wailed in protest, doing everything in her power to fight back before her winged doppelganger did something terrible.

" _How could you?! Squall, he was so scared, and you_ threw _him across the room like a discarded toy!_

" _He needed my help! What're you doing to me?!"_ she screamed into darkness. Edea's claims—reinforced by things said in passing by Griever—that her sorcery was in fact a living entity, one that was hell-bent on surviving at _all costs_ , were proven all but true. The voice that responded was that of thousands of different women; Sorceresses of generations past that had once carried this very entity replied in unison.

" _Your Knight did his duty, but he cannot fight. We are not incapable of defending ourselves._

" _Once we eliminate the one who he warned us of, we'll determine if the others will fall in line, or foolishly try to succeed where he'll fail."_ The voices were carried over from the entity's former hosts; it wasn't _them_ she was actually talking to.

" _The one he warned us of? He didn't warn us about anyone! He just said—_ "

" _The SeeD, child, he warned us about the SeeD."_

Rinoa gasped once she realized whom they were seeking. Formless, floating in the deepest catacombs of her subconscious, she couldn't actually bring her hand over her mouth to mask her shock. But, if at this moment, she had had control over her body, she wouldn't have. Her hands had slowly begun to stretch out, and her fingers had narrowed and grown sharp towards the ends. The research Squall had done on Sorceress's development over time—before Rinoa asked him to stop, saying she didn't want to hear anymore—stated that this was the first of many changes that could happen, and it surely wasn't the last. The elongating and thinning of hands wouldn't be complete until they were razor sharp talons. It could take days, or it could take decades, but the transformation _would_ happen. Even Edea's hands had begun to change before she passed her powers onto Rinoa, and while Adel's transformation had taken an entirely different route, Rinoa saw her hands as they reached out to take her. They had begun to take a similar form, but it was clear they would be one of the last changes to occur on her already vastly altered body.

Standing near the front gate, the Sorceress surveyed the ocean out past the Alcauld Plains. She was looking for something she'd thought had landed there. It wasn't until her eyes drifted further to the right that she caught sight of the White SeeD ship near the town of Balamb, confirming where her target currently resided.

" _No, not Zell! We don't need to fear him, especially him!"_ Rinoa called out once more.

" _He knows the most of anyone, child. Your Knight's frailty led him to divulge too much information for my liking. With him out of the way, we'll be taking a stand: anyone who opposes us will meet the same fate."_

" _Just because he knows doesn't mean he'll hurt us! If anything, he'll do more to—"_ Rinoa's mouth was suddenly shut firm; literally silenced by the entity, and it even went as far as to cast the spell on her as well, just to be safe.

" _Rest, Rinoa. Your inexperience speaks volumes of your naivety. I'll handle this, and you can thank me later when you assume your rightful position above the peasants that sully this world."_

Guided by the treacherous force within her, the young Sorceress took her first steps towards Balamb. The sound of her boots treading across the marble floor was all that could be heard on an otherwise quiet Balamb night, until a sharp crack of a whip, followed by massive nunchaku being swung in the air rang out from behind her. She turned, and behind her were two of the other SeeDs that Rinoa cared so deeply for. Vexed by its host's heartache upon seeing them, the Sorceress was guided back towards them, meeting their battle-ready glares with one of Rinoa's charming grins.

"Let's cut to the chase. What're the two of you _really_ going to do to stop me?" she asked.

Selphie pulled Strange Vision's chains tighter, junctioning Slow onto it, while Quistis junctioned Silence onto Save The Queen.

"It's not her," stated Quistis. "That's the sorcery talking. Use restraint, but treat this like any other battle."

Selphie gritted her teeth, torn. She knew Quistis' orders were their best bet to save her, but all she wanted to do was run out and take hold of her friend. In a perfect world, all it would take to diffuse a situation like this would be showing their target that someone cared about them. Then again, if the world was the place she wished it was, there wouldn't be a target to begin with, and it wouldn't be one of her best friends at that.

"I'm not going to junction anything onto my attack, Quisty. I don't want to hurt her," she replied. Quistis nodded in understanding, but the sharpness of Save The Queen's snap showed she was prepared to truly fight her friend.

"If you can slow her down early enough, then I'll un-junction. But, Selphie, if she's immune to these, or any status ailments we try to inflict on her, you're going to have to—"

"I know," the little warrior interrupted. Normally, Quistis would've reprimanded someone for cutting her off while she was giving them orders, but this situation called for compassion, compromise, and as she'd stated before above all else, restraint.

The Sorceress began to hover slightly over the ground, and looked out into the distance behind them.

"Where's your rifleman?" she hissed.

Quistis scoffed at the title.

"Rifleman? Such a term would make our _sharpshooter_ wretch," she quipped. The witch ignored her and drifted to the side, trying to spot Irvine's tall, lanky figure.

"You're not going to spot him. He wouldn't be very good at his job if you could," added Selphie. Turning her attention to the two soldiers before her, the Sorceress's wings spread out, and she leaned forward, preparing to dive.

"He'll reveal himself when he hears you _squeal..._ "

Her threat was a whisper so Irvine wouldn't hear it. Wasting no time, Selphie thrust Strange Vision forward at the pseudo-angel. With a quick dodge to the right, she circled around and swooped downward, reaching out to slash at the little warrior's face. Inches away, the Sorceress's ankle was quickly ensnared by Save The Queen's lasso, and with a firm pull she was thrust down onto the ground.

"This is a losing battle, Rinoa," warned Quistis. The Sorceress leapt up and flew backwards, yanking Quistis forward. She dug the heels of her boots into the ground to try and steady herself. If Selphie hadn't grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back, she most likely would've been pulled right into their enemy's clutches.

"If only you could hear your friend," the Sorceress laughed. "She knows you're right, and hates that you would ever call _me_ Rinoa. It's too bad, she'll only learn that we're one and the same once you're all splayed out before me!"

Freed from Quistis' hold, Rinoa flew higher into the air, and was surrounded by a pale green light.

"She's casting magic!" yelled Quistis.

"Didn't your whip silence her?!" exclaimed Selphie. Before the spell could be fully executed, a bullet whizzed past the Sorceress' head, breaking her concentration. Quickly, she looked back at Garden, scanning for her attacker. Still, Irvine was nowhere to be seen.

"Seems like Zell isn't the only one ready to kill me," she remarked.

"He missed on purpose!" Selphie insisted. The Sorceress snorted and shook her head.

"Coward."

* * *

Irvine ducked back down behind the booth in front of the entrance to the main hall. His shot had missed as planned, but he couldn't see how the rest of the battle was playing out unless he wanted to be seen.

"A real bullet?" came a familiar voice.

The sharpshooter turned around and saw Griever standing over him, looking straight out, and observing the battle. Clearly, he had nothing to lose from being seen.

"I meant to miss. Even if she had strafed one way or the other, that thing wasn't going to hit her."

"What made you take the chance, though?"

Irvine sighed as he reloaded Exeter.

"She must know Quistis and Selphie aren't going to kill her. If she sees a real bullet, maybe she'll get scared and—"

"Retreat?" interrupted Griever. Irvine nodded, and the Knight balked at his logic.

"She's doing this _because_ she's scared. This isn't her being bold and taking a stand." Griever looked away and watched the battle with narrowed eyes. "As a matter of fact, it's not really _her_ at all."

"What?!"

Griever turned to his bodyguard and saw that last statement was completely lost on him.

"Her sorcery is an entity in itself; it's soulless. It doesn't feel emotion or comprehend any kind of feeling. It only has the will to survive. While it is a part of her, should Rinoa actually perish, the entity will transfer itself to the nearest suitable host.

"Something must've transpired between her and Squall to set it off. I didn't sense anything like this until moments ago."

Irvine was still struggling to understand the finer points of Griever's explanation, but there was one thing he said that stood out in particular.

"It's afraid? Of what, us?" asked Irvine.

The Knight nodded as he continued to look out over the fight, folding his arms across his chest.

"I can't say if those feelings triggered her other episodes, but they weren't any help. Hyne's Descendant, or rather, Hyne's Will, doesn't trust anyone, and it won't go down without a fight."

"Come again? Did you just say Hyne's _Will_?" Irvine further inquired.

The Knight let out a tired breath, and gestured towards Exeter.

"You should load up those bullets we made on the ship. We'll need them later." Irvine reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the magazine that had once contained a small round of normal ammo. Each bullet was now ingrained with shards of orange crystal; Griever had provided them, not appearing worried about supply.

"These'll really do the trick, huh?" the Knight's bodyguard asked.

"Like I said, those might as well be Sorceress tranquilizers. Load up, and then let me worry about what's going on out here. You've got other problems."

"Huh? What's with you being so damn cryptic all of a sudden?"

Irvine's question wasn't necessarily answered, as much as Griever's warning had come to light. Barreling towards them, Squall—far paler than usual—charged at Irvine with all his might.

"You shot at her?!"

Not particularly privy to hand-to-hand combat, Irvine had to rely on his height and weight advantage over the gunbladist to wrestle him off.

"Get the hell off of me! What happened, man?! And why do you look so drained?" Squall ran back to tackle Irvine again, only to be met halfway by the imposing cowboy. The Commander wasn't an expert in martial arts, but normally he'd be able to take down someone as inexperienced as Irvine. He was drained and worn out like Irvine had observed, but continued to fight despite his waning strength.

"Get out of the way, Kinneas! That's an order from your Commander!" he shouted, struggling to keep his footing.

"Either you've completely lost it, or you're on something. No way am I letting you through here!" Shifting his weight forward, Irvine fell onto Squall and pinned him down to the ground. Flailing about underneath him, Squall kicked and grabbed at Irvine without any coordination or form; he was completely off of his game. Irvine finally managed to get him on his stomach and then pulled the Commander's arms back around his waist.

"This is for your own good, man. I'm sorry."

Squall felt thick elastic plaster wrap around his wrists as Irvine rendered him helpless with one of the restraints they'd tied Zell up with on the White SeeD ship. He struggled manically to get out from under him; if he could get just a second to finagle with them, he'd be able to break out of his binds and make another dash for the front gate. It wasn't until Irvine pulled him to his feet that he realized how exhausted he actually was. Were it not for his friend holding him upright, he'd likely have hit the ground and passed out.

"You're all kinds of out of sorts, huh?" asked Griever, finally turning back to look at him. Squall tiredly looked up at the Knight, panting and drenched in a cold sweat. The man who'd given him his ring was unusually calm; Squall sensed he was hiding something.

"Why're you just standing there? Can't you do something? Isn't that why you're here?!" Squall spat. The Knight looked him over, and then chuckled humorlessly to himself.

The Commander flew into another rage, but Griever's untimely tranquil state remained constant.

"Damn it! I asked you a question!"

Irvine pulled tighter on Squall's bindings, angering him even further, until Griever finally responded.

"I'm waiting…"

* * *

Selphie double cast Aura on both her and Quistis, allowing the Head Instructor to then cast Mighty Guard. There defenses boosted while in Haste _and_ Float, "Rinoa" rolled her eyes as they hovered meagerly in the air.

"Think you can better reach me now that you're _inches_ off the ground?" she taunted.

"Someone doesn't know their battlefield tactics," retorted Quistis. In one swift motion, she fully extended Save The Queen and cracked the tip of it right in their opponent's face. The Sorceress shrieked, flying backward in the air. Selphie could see she still wasn't silenced, and made an attempt to at least slow her down.

Strange Vision couldn't cover the distance Save The Queen could, but Selphie was quick on her feet. She managed to dash in right under Rinoa, leap up, and catch her foot with the end of her nunchaku. Despite her wearing boots, Strange Vision's thick rods sent pain flaring through the Sorceress's body, and she pulled back farther, her pained howls starting to sound less and less human.

"It didn't work. She must be immune to both ailments!" called Selphie to Quistis.

"Try junctioning something else! I'll switch to Blind!" the blue mage replied. Selphie went to junction Bio, but Rinoa's cackle broke her concentration.

 _Hyne, that can't be you, Rinoa! I know we keep saying it, but this just won't end!_

The little warrior abandoned her attempts at switching junctions and called out to her friend.

"Rin! Please, come back! You can stop this if you just—"

Selphie cut her plea short as she dodged Rinoa's clawed hand. The force of the swipe would've ripped through her skin like paper. Her instincts kicked in, and Selphie put the ends of Strange Vision together to bludgeon her friend. She attacked, but only struck the air around her.

"Selphie! Look out!" Quistis shouted. She looked to where the blonde was pointing, and pivoted around on her heel, bringing her weapon up and catching Rinoa right under the chin. She had shattered soldier's skulls with that very tactic, but the Sorceress only doubled back and ran her hand under her chin for a second before the blood Selphie had drawn vanished.

"So, the truth comes out. You're _all_ ready to send us to the grave," said the Sorceress.

"We'll stop _you_ , but we'll save Rinoa," responded Quistis. The winged woman rolled her eyes once again.

"We're one and the same, you fools! So often do humans forget that Sorceresses are _human_! Being Hyne's Descendant makes us superior—the fact that you won't just outright bow down to me is astonishing—but the idea that you can separate us is outrageous!"

The phrase "Hyne's descendant" had always been one said in passing amongst people. Quistis had read that it used to be used as praise for someone, but after the first Sorceress War, it was just another way people referred to the Sorceress. As a phrase that was used diminutively towards them, why would a Sorceress not only use it, but also hold it in high regard for herself?

"Will you continue your pursuit of me?" Rinoa asked. The two of them could only look upon her in silence. Her full wings blew freely in the wind and had it not been for the menace she bore towards them, they'd be in awe of the gentle glow of the pale white aura around her. Taking note of their fascination with the aura, the Sorceress pulled back the energy that covered her eyes, and used Rinoa's already compelling brown eyes to further confuse them. With no sign of the malice in her tongue anywhere on her face, every second spent fighting her left them more and more conflicted over what was happening.

"Your silence is deafening," she responded drably. The pale green aura appeared around her once more, and Quistis quickly cast Reflect on both her and Selphie.

"That won't save you from _this_."

The winds picked up quickly, and the two SeeDs covered their faces from the harsh gale. Rinoa lifted her right hand into the air, and the small space around it began to pull in towards her palm. When Quistis saw the black, green, and yellow lights emerging from within, her eyes grew wide with panic.

"Rin, don't! You'll destroy the whole Garden! Not even Squall will survive!" A moment of hesitation was all that was needed. Before the Sorceress could fully process Quistis' warning, Ultima, along with all of the energy channeled to use it, was ripped forth from her hand.

Mystified by what unseen force had intervened, the three of them looked around hastily to see if anyone was watching them.

"Wait…" Rinoa's wings spread out and she took to the sky. From her angle, she had a perfect view of the entrance booth, and could see a lone figure standing with a sword in hand, looking right back at her. Ultima dissipated as its essence traveled to the hilt, and the entity looked upon the sword with a thousand gazes of confusion. Sorceresses past saw a man who was clearly a Knight, perhaps the mightiest to have ever served one of Hyne's Descendants, but they could not comprehend his power, nor his presence in this world.

Within the void, Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief, and her powers looked to her for answers.

" _Who is_ that _?"_

" _He's going to save us! If you stop right now, maybe he won't have to intervene!"_ replied Rinoa, hoping Griever's small display of his power would be enough to stay the entity's attack.

"… _Save us from who?"_

" _What do you mean?"_ asked Rinoa.

" _Whose side is he on?"_

" _Ours! Who else would he be with?"_ The entity didn't respond, but the Sorceress narrowed her eyes at the Knight, while he kept his glare transfixed on her. She turned her attention to the two SeeDs she'd been fighting.

"Were you planning on keeping it a secret that Hyne's Charge is here?!" the Sorceress shrieked. Quistis and Selphie covered their ears, the shriek was so high-pitched that they thought they may've heard glass break in the distance. As soon as the scream's echo faded, Quistis was left with more questions about all this talk of "Hyne."

"Hyne's Charge? What're you talking about?" she demanded of the Sorceress. Her winged friend lowered herself slightly, still keeping her gaze firmly on the warrior who'd _absorbed_ an Ultima, of all spells.

"A Knight true to his title, someone who actually defended a Sorceress against _everything_. I didn't even think someone like that could ever exist; such power in the hands of a man."

"Why did you call him 'Hyne's Charge?'" interrupted Quistis. Rinoa's gaze seemed to drift idly on the Knight. Quistis and Selphie had the opportunity to strike and possibly even bring her down, but Rinoa's confused expression looked more like the girl they knew than the entity she harbored within her.

One warrior, however, _did_ use this an opportunity to strike. Still airborne, Rinoa was suddenly tackled hard to the ground. Disoriented, she gasped as a katar slammed into the ground inches away from her face.

"It's over, Rinoa! There's no winning this fight, not now!" Ellone's voice filled the Sorceress with a newfound rage. She sprung up from the ground, sending the White SeeD Commander flying back, only to find her balance midair and land firmly on her feet. Not only was she trained to fight like Kiros, she was as capable as the other White SeeDs in combat, making aerial combat a non-issue.

When Rinoa turned back, her fingers had grown sharper, and she held them out as though they were dual blades.

"Another SeeD looking to spread its roots. But, where's Dincht?!" she hissed.

"You can't even defeat _me_ , Rinoa. There's no way you'd hold up against Zell." Ellone's tone was calm and collected, quite contrary to her childhood friends', who rushed to her side.

"Ellone, don't! It's not Rinoa, it's—"

"Selphie, please! It _is_ Rinoa! She's the Sorceress."

"But, Griever can—"

"Well, you let me know when he actually gets here!" Ellone had firmly cut off Quistis, a feat none had tried before—aside from Seifer—and lived to talk about it. The Head Instructor knew her friend's words rang true, that this _was_ Rinoa now. Even if this side of her was born out of her powers losing control, she was still the one utilizing them, the one who'd been _chosen_ to be the heiress of Hyne's…

 _Hyne's Will, Hyne's Charge…what is it that we've overlooked?_

Quistis prepared for another bout, Save the Queen firmly in hand, leaving Selphie as the only one left protesting their fighting her.

"No! We can't—"

"We're not going to kill her!" scolded Ellone. This was a side neither SeeD had seen of their "Sis". It was bold, fearless, and effortlessly ready for combat. More had changed in the past year than they'd originally thought; now that she was no longer on the run, Ellone had taken it upon herself to ensure no one _else_ would have to run either—Rinoa included.

 _This is why I fight…_

The doubt she'd had over her and her friends' paths in life disappeared from her mind momentarily, and she let her hands fall to her side and hang loosely. Her posture wiry and fluid, Ellone readied her katars as the Sorceress prepared for combat herself.

 _I ran from this my whole life._

 _But, I won't destroy it…I'll change it._

"Just you and me, Rin! Give me all you've got!"

* * *

Griever sheathed his sword and turned back to Irvine and Squall. Both stared at him in awe, and he nodded back at them, acknowledging the gravity of his action.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's just para-magic," he said.

"That was _not_ para-magic," replied Irvine. Squall's breathing grew heavier, and he began to slide down onto the ground. Irvine was confused by his sudden change in demeanor, and pulled his friend back up.

"Finally tired out, huh?" he asked the Commander. Squall didn't respond. Instead, he directed his attention back to Griever.

"That was…Draw?" he asked. Griever nodded once more.

"A form of it. Para-magic's limitations don't apply when you're…well, different." The Knight cleared his throat uncomfortably after that statement, and turned his attention back to the battle to steer the conversation away from himself.

"Looks like Ellone's joined the fight," he said.

"Ellone?!" yelled Squall. He went to move forward to get a look for himself, but Irvine kept him pulled back behind the booth.

"Let go of me, damn it!" the Commander demanded of his friend.

"Squall, just look at yourself!" Irvine grabbed his head and turned it towards the booth's reflective glass. He didn't just look overtired; his eyes were red and puffy, and he'd paled to the point where he looked gaunt, sickly even.

 _What's happening to me?_

The sound of clashing blades broke his concentration. Through the reflection, he saw Ellone and Rinoa fighting each other. Rinoa's hands served as makeshift blades against Ellone's katars. Each clash of steel against magic-enhanced flesh rang out sharply, and carried junctioned magic from both of them with each blow. Ellone seemed to have Bio junctioned, while Rinoa was just fighting with raw power. Whatever spell she had junctioned to her strength was powerful, and Squall couldn't quite place it in his head.

"I'd say Ellone's surpassed her mentor. With the White SeeD's disciplines integrated with Kiros' already unique fighting style, she's probably holding back to avoid hurting Rinoa," remarked Griever. He turned to his left and addressed the shadows.

"You happen to show her anything before all this?"

Irvine and Squall looked to where Griever was facing and saw their brawling companion emerge from hiding.

"How did you know I was there? I was quiet as a mouse!" replied Zell.

"A five-foot-five mouse with big clunky sneakers, maybe," Griever joked. Zell couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, then turned his attention to his Commander. His expression was stern until he saw the emaciated state of his friend.

"Whoa, I was coming here to tell you off, but I don't kick people when they're down. What happened to you?"

Griever hadn't paid much mind to Irvine's comments about Squall's appearance. When he finally turned after Zell echoed his statements, he too was surprised to see the young Knight so withered.

"I'm…fine," Squall replied, his voice strained.

Zell looked up at Irvine, who shook his head.

"I have no idea. He's been getting worse every passing minute. It's not like I put bangles around his wrists." Zell let out a reluctant sigh, and cast Cura on his friend. His foolishness aside, Zell didn't want any harm to come to him, and he looked like he had just been through absolute hell. The spell took effect, and color returned to Squall's skin for a short time. Then the three of them watched it fade, as though it was actually being absorbed from him.

"What the hell? Dude, what happened, really?" asked Zell again. Squall closed his eyes and grunted in pain. His body jolted forward slightly, and he grew even weaker. Griever saw this and quickly turned his attention back to the fight. Ellone, more than holding her own, was fighting someone who was proficient in melee combat. Rinoa had used a ranged weapon all throughout the war, and there'd been no indication that she'd had any actual training up until this point. It seemed impossible, but her footwork and timing looked familiar.

Suspicious, he drew out his sword again and held it out to his side. The three men watched as the blade lit up and faded as he moved it up and down, and they all jumped in surprise when Griever finally broke his calm demeanor.

"Did you train Rinoa at any point, Squall? Is she fighting that way because you showed her how?" he asked worriedly. The Commander looked at Griever confused, and then shook his head.

"I thought not." He sheathed his sword, then turned back to his pupil.

"Cut the link!" he demanded. Squall's eyes widened. He wasn't even aware the link was still open; he hadn't heard a word spoken or thought by Rinoa while she'd been outside fighting. What was Griever talking about?

"She cut it…back in our room," he replied, his energy fading further.

"Squall, that's not Rinoa fighting out there. That's _you_!" Griever grabbed the gunbladist from Irvine's hands and pointed out to where Ellone and Rinoa exchanged blows. Ellone was natural in her movement, and Squall too confirmed she was holding back. Rinoa, on the other hand, was fighting like a SeeD; she was fighting with grace that only comes from years of training and mentoring she'd _never_ undergone or received. When she charged forward and flew up high into the air, had Ellone not leapt up in that same moment to counter her attack, she would've performed an attack similar to Rough Divide, and Squall realized Griever's claims were true.

"How? I didn't…I haven't even—"

"It doesn't matter right now. Just cut the damn link so I can end this!" commanded Griever. Squall turned to the Knight and glared at him.

"What do you mean _end this_?!"

Griever shook him back and forth, Squall's body dangling flimsily in his hand.

"This has gone on long enough. If you don't cut the link, you're not going to live to see tomorrow. Cut it, now!"

"Squall, listen to the damn guy!" insisted Irvine.

The Commander didn't know what to do. As far as he was concerned, the link wasn't open.

" _Please, my Knight. Ignore them; I need your strength so we can escape this place…"_ Heartbroken, he hung his head.

" _Rinoa…you're doing this to me?"_

" _I can restore you after the battle is won. They'll all come after us; your words have proven true. We need to regroup and plan where to go from here…"_

" _Rin…this isn't the way. Not for us. Not for you."_

" _What? Do you dare defy me?!"_ Squall shook his head, but before he could respond, a bright white light appeared in the sky. The four men looked out and saw Rinoa high above ground. Her wingspan was the size of the outer walkway; she looked magnificent. Ellone was on the ground, flanked by Quistis and Selphie. She was unharmed, but had stopped fighting for some reason. Squall had no doubt she could jump up and bring Rinoa down, what was she doing?

Griever, uninterested in the questions Squall had, threw him back to Irvine and readied his sword.

"Squall, stop wasting time! Cut the link. She'll drain you whole in order to fight us. You'll die, she'll be left without a Knight, and on the losing side of a battle we'll _have_ to finish!" Disoriented even further, the Commander slid out of Irvine's grip again, this time being brought back to his feet by both the sharpshooter and the martial artist.

"Dude, you've almost gone completely limp. You've gotta do what he says!" exclaimed Zell. Squall didn't respond, and instead looked out at his angel, floating in the sky as though she'd descended from the heavens.

" _How could someone so pure become so…Rin, I don't understand."_

" _Squall, this is our reality, now."_ she responded. " _What's wrong, are you ok? Why do you look so sick?"_

Squall hesitated to respond. Did she not know what was happening to him? If she was responsible for it like Griever claimed, then was she lying? Rinoa wouldn't lie, would she? Would her sorceress alter ego lie? Was this her alter ego talking right now?

"Damn it, Squall! Make a call before she rushes over here! She sensed you're in trouble and is getting ready to charge us!" yelled Griever.

 _No…her voice…it's changed. She's her again._

 _That angel out there…that's the Rinoa I know…_

Zell had finally had enough, and stepped in front of his Commander.

"You gonna do the right thing, or what?" he pressed. Squall narrowed his eyes at him, and Zell sighed, seeing no other alternative to what he was about to do.

"I'm sorry, Squall. I can't let you do this to yourself, or Rinoa. We'll fix you up once this is all over, I promise." There was no time to process Zell's words. Squall felt the air rush out of his stomach as the martial artist's iron fist sunk into his gut. A shriek unlike any other came from where Rinoa hovered in the sky, and she charged where Zell stood.

Griever leapt over the entrance panel and quickly let out a burst of energy, blowing the Sorceress back. He released round after round of this harmless spell to grow the distance between them, and with what little time he had, felt around to see if the link was still present. When his sword only picked up on Rinoa's powers, he knew Squall was safe from being affected by anything he would do to her.

"Last chance, Rinoa. The link's cut; your Knight can't help you. There's no getting by me. Fall back, and we can—"

Faster than Griever had expected, the Sorceress rushed around him and closed in on the booth. There came a shot, and Rinoa planted her feet on the ground, stumbling aimlessly, trying to maintain her balance.

"She's tranqued!" yelled Irvine. The bullet fell out from her body, leaving only the orange shards in where he'd shot her. Disoriented, and using all of her energy just to stand, she was vulnerable to anyone's attack at that point. But no one sought to hurt her.

Griever sighed heavily as he spread his feet apart and held his sword out horizontally in front of him.

"Forgive me, Rinoa. You of all people should never have had to bear this burden." She turned back to him, the shards falling out from her skin, her strength returning. With what little time he had left, a fierce wind blew up from under Griever, and the six warriors watched as the Knight used one of the powers he'd been too afraid to neutralize Ultimecia with. The markings he bore on his jacket crawled up on his face, and his eyes changed from their lifeless gray to the same fierce gold that Ultimecia had looked upon them with. The beams of pale green light that would've drawn magic from an opponent instead shot forward from his blade. What looked like a simple Draw command ensnared Rinoa in its firm tendrils. She turned back, and still barely conscious, Squall locked eyes with her and watched in horror as the white aura around her was literally pulled away from her body. The light broke into particles and slowly seeped into Griever's broadsword. Her wings willowed, and feathers fell to the ground, molted; the angel was dying. She wanted to scream in agony, but as her mouth hung open, there was only silence. Squall couldn't reach out to her, he was too far gone; the one thing keeping him on the border of consciousness was his desire to save her. Her hands returned to normal, and the barren wings on her back vanished.

When the last essence of light around her faded, she fell forward, and Griever caught her before she hit the ground. Looking down on her in his new form, he looked up and locked eyes with Squall. Zell and Irvine gasped at the sight; his markings were as prevalent as they were on Ultimecia, and his eyes bore the same evil she and Edea had before him. Shocking his comrades into stillness, he rose up from the ground, his sword still in hand and its blade dragging on the ground, heavy from the energy it now contained. He turned to the female SeeDs as they ran to him, and they shirked back at his appearance. He held Rinoa's body out to them, and cautiously, Quistis and Selphie took her from him.

"Bring her to the White SeeD ship and place her in the infirmary. Contact Edea and Cid and tell them to meet us there at once."

Rinoa seemed to be experiencing muscle spasms, and she could only make guttural noises in the back of her throat, unable to speak.

"I'll restore her when she's secure. Go. I will follow." Ellone turned to her friends and motioned towards the ship. She didn't look any more confident than they did after seeing Griever transform to perform his technique, but Rinoa was still alive, and that's all that mattered to her.

"The crew is there, I'll notify them you're coming."

Selphie hesitantly interjected.

"Sis, he—"

"Just go! We'll bring Squall. Hurry!"

Selphie bit her tongue from saying anymore. Really, she wanted nothing more than to get as far as possible from the now poignant reminder that Griever really did once serve the evil Sorceress from the future. His eyes appeared wider than usual, and his golden irises shone brightly with a power she'd feared, and sought to destroy.

"Selphie, let's go," said Quistis, breaking her train of thought.

"Quis—"

"I know, Selphie. She _is_ neutralized, though." Griever turned his body fully towards them, making them both flinch back again.

"You can handle him, right?" asked Griever of Ellone. He didn't look at her, as his gaze was transfixed on Rinoa, watching her twinge, her face still fearing for her life.

"We'll take Squall back," replied Ellone. Griever nodded, then gestured forward.

"She's hurting. Let's go—the sooner the better." The two SeeDs moved quickly down the walkway with their friend in their arms, and Griever followed slowly behind them, dragging his sword along the ground.

Ellone ran back towards the entrance panels and knelt down to examine her brother. Squall was still conscious; Zell hadn't completely knocked him out. He didn't make a sound, though. He couldn't, he'd given everything he had, unknowingly, but without regret, to Rinoa after she'd changed. Irvine put Exeter into his jacket, and Zell walked over and picked Squall up, hoisting him over his shoulder.

"Be careful!" exclaimed Ellone. Zell nodded, and looked to his right. Squall hung lifelessly over his side, and all he could do was shake his head.

"Damn man…you could've stopped this."

Ellone looked back at her brother and held his face in her hands. His eyes were open, and they seemed to twinkle as they focused on her. She stepped forward and pushed his hair out of his face.

"Squall…"

The Commander's head fell back down, and Irvine pushed open the panel for them to walk out.

"We should get moving," he advised. Leaving a quick kiss on her brother's forehead, Ellone turned around, and she and Zell followed Irvine down the marble path. Squall and Rinoa were safe, and more importantly, alive. But, right before Griever handed Rinoa to Quistis and Selphie, he'd heard a warning that marked a turning point.

" _This is your fate…._

" _You still have time to change it, but you could've stopped this…_

"… _Next time, you might not be so lucky."_

* * *

 _If anyone's curious, I had "Wounded" from the FF8 soundtrack playing on repeat during the scene where Rinoa is drained of her powers. Seemed appropriate; the end of this fights, imo, sort of mirrored the end of the final fight on Disc 1 with Edea._

 _But, yeah, there it is, folks! The moment we've all been waiting for! Griever shows a part of himself no one was ready for, Rinoa turns, and Ellone can fight like no other! This will most likely my only update this month, as I'm still super busy with my music projects at the moment (two bands, my solo project, teaching, etc. I love it, but I'm still struggling to find time to set aside for fic.)_

 _Shout out to skribleskrable for following and favoriting my little story, as well shout-outs to **h34rt1lly** , **LaylaEvercrest** , **Maxton** , **Rasivel** , **siobhane** , **Summoner Luna** , and **ZabinReigns** for your wonderful reviews! I know a lot of you have updated and/or posted new fics for the summoners challenge, which I need to get to work on to be able to submit mine as well, but just in general, I need to catch up on all of your work because, damn it, I miss spending hours getting lost in fic!_

 _Ok, enough whining. Thanks everyone, please R &R, as it is truly helpful and inspiring. Not to mention, when you're trudging gear through NYC to band practice, and you get an email notification saying "new review on your story," it makes the journey all the better :D_

 _See you all soon! Hope you enjoy :D  
_


	18. The Burdens Of Fate

**Chapter 17: The Burdens Of Fate...**

* * *

Quistis and Selphie laid Rinoa's still shaking body onto an open cot in the White SeeD ship's infirmary. The sun had just poked out from behind the mountains, so only fishermen who refused to let the destruction of the harbor get in the way of a good catch saw them. Quistis paid little mind to the gasps she heard as the scraping of Griever's sword came into earshot.

 _Great, more hush money handouts because the Knight can't sheathe his damn sword…_

Busy checking Rinoa's pulse and monitoring her breathing, she hadn't noticed Selphie's look of disdain pointed her way.

"Selphie?" she asked the little warrior.

"I saw that face you make when you get all…Quistis-y. What could possibly be on your mind other than Rinny's wellbeing?!" Selphie spat. Maintaining her composure, the Head Instructor replied coolly.

"Perhaps if you weren't so preoccupied with a _face I made_ , you would've noticed that I've been making sure our friend doesn't fall into any worse of a condition than she already has."

"Then why the face?" Selphie continued. Quistis ignored her. Instead, she cradled Rinoa's head and turned it to the side. Their eyes met, and she could see the young Sorceress, though in shock, could hear everything they were saying. Now was not the time to argue, they had to focus.

"Selphie, I'm just worried, that's all. I would've liked it if we didn't have to carry Rinoa here all the way from Garden on foot. I would've liked to bring her to the hospital, instead of putting her on a cot in a makeshift infirmary. I would've liked it, if after everything that had transpired over the past three days, we could've all slept easily and tackled tomorrow after a well deserved rest.

"I would've liked it if Griever's arrival was the beginning to the end of our troubles, not just another thread in this already confusing ordeal we've found ourselves in."

The Head Instructor was neglecting to mention the glimpses of the past she'd seen after Hesiod attacked her. She didn't let her lack of understanding it slow her down, though. She knew Ellone had more to say on the matter, and it helped ease her nerves that the White SeeD Commander had helped subdue Rinoa. Despite how badly she wanted answers, she took comfort in knowing that the one who may have them was as capable on the battlefield as she was off.

Selphie appeared to have calmed down, and nodded in agreement with her friend.

"Yeah…me too," she said back somberly. She leaned towards Rinoa and brushed a strand of her hair off of her face. Rinoa felt it, and turned to face Selphie. Her expression hadn't changed since Griever subdued her; the pain in her eyes was Rinoa's, not the Sorceress' entity within. In spite of her instincts, Selphie feigned a smile and took Rinoa's hand in hers, hoping to ease her friend's suffering in even the slightest way.

"It's almost over, Rinny. It's gonna be all better, and Squall will be here soon, too!" Unable to control her contorting facial muscles, Quistis noticed that Rinoa's pulse sped up at the mention of Squall's name. She gave a small smile, taking any sign of their old friend still being there as a glimmer of hope.

"I think that helped, Selphie," she said.

"Good," the petite brunette replied simply.

Heavy footsteps tread through the entrance to the infirmary, and the two SeeDs darted their attention to the person entering. Griever trudged in, dragging his sword behind him. The markings that had covered his face were still present, and his eyes remained the fearsome gold they'd turned upon his stopping Rinoa's tirade.

"How is she?" he asked, tired from the walk.

Quistis eyed the Knight carefully, and then decided to give an accurate recount of her friend's status.

"She's stable. Her pulse is strong and her heart is beating; she can breathe. She just can't speak, and her body is still unresponsive to anything other than the mention of Squall." A quick squeeze of Selphie's hand made her yip. Rinoa really could only react to his name at this point. Griever seemed pleased with the news, and sat down in a nearby chair. His sword shone brightly, even in the already lit up infirmary. He held it by its mantle with the blade pointed towards the floor.

"Good. I knew she'd be all right, but I can't restore her until they get here with Squall. They had the link open throughout the battle; once she began drawing on his combat training, she drew out some of the powers he gained tonight. I need them both present so that the energies can return to their rightful owners."

It was a mouthful, but Quistis understood the way their powers apparently broke down.

"So, is that what happened, then? Something within their bond changed, and that brought this about?" Griever nodded in response to her question.

"More or less. There's more, but we should wait until the others arrive before discussing anymore of it." The Head Instructor was wary of his refusal to speak any further on the matter, but returned her attention to Rinoa nonetheless.

"She can hear us. I wonder what's going on in her head right now?" Quistis said under her breath. Rinoa's eyes could only convey suffering; to try and gather anything else from her expression would only hurt her.

"There's no point in asking questions right now," the Knight stated. Turning swiftly to face him, Quistis shot daggers at the man. Her glare had little sway over him, but he still acknowledged her.

"What?" he deadpanned.

"That was a question!" interrupted Selphie, pointing a jokingly accusing finger. Rinoa squeezed her friend's hand once more, and when Selphie turned back, she sensed Rinoa would've laughed if she could.

Despite Selphie's butting in, the tension between the two remained thick. The Knight wasn't looking for any trouble, and chose to avoid bothering Quistis any further.

"…Sorry."

Quistis narrowed her eyes at him, and then looked over at his sword.

"Why did you drag that thing here? What happened to it after you…well, did what you did?"

Griever sighed before he reluctantly replied.

"It's heavier," he deadpanned again.

"Stop screwing around and answer me," she spat back.

There was no getting out of this. Griever didn't want to discuss anything in front of Rinoa, but Quistis flying off the handle at him wouldn't do any good either.

"The sword is a runic blade; it can absorb magic. That Ultima spell she almost cast earlier is now a part of my stock. But, it can't absorb sorcery. Black and white magic, para-magic, sure, but living magic is out of the question."

" _Living_ magic?" pressed Quistis. Griever slowly nodded, and leaned forward as he finished.

"I know it sounds like semantics but, that's the difference between sorcery and magic. Anyone with enough skill and know-how can learn to cast and draw magic, but sorcery merges with the person who wields it. It becomes a part of them, and them it. In this case, women who inherit this entity become so powerful that they need someone to share some of their power with. We know that person as a Knight.

"Traditionally, it's someone the woman loves, and history shows records of Knights only being men, but really, it's whoever the woman, and her powers, choose. Squall couldn't have become Rinoa's Knight had Rinoa not wanted to knight him, so to speak."

Griever then withdrew into his chair and leaned all the way back. Quistis still had more questions, but could see that whatever he'd done to stop Rinoa took a toll on him as well. Rinoa's steady pulse allowed her to focus her attention on something else while they waited for the others to arrive.

* * *

"Be careful with him!"

Ellone's umpteenth precaution to Zell was starting to wear on his nerves. At the speed Ellone would have him walk, they'd be lucky to reach Balamb by next week.

"I _am_ being careful. Relax, already!" he insisted. Observing her adoptive brother's almost unresponsive expression, she placed her hand on the side of his throat to check for a pulse.

"I'm pretty sure you don't have to keep checking if he's alive, Sis. He's been through worse," Irvine called back to them.

"How about you just keep walking ahead and I'll just keep looking after him the way he should've been," she snapped back. Both of the men let out groans, and Ellone ran up ahead of them, standing firmly in their way on the road to Balamb.

"Don't groan like you're just mildly annoyed by all of this! You both know what's at stake here, and it just so happens that both of our friends are caught square in the middle of it. Zell, you weren't—"

"Hey!" the martial artist interrupted.

Ellone stopped short of relaying his conversation with Squall to Irvine, and the sharpshooter, not one to miss subliminal messages like these, picked up on it.

"Well, I'm glad we're all on the same miserable page as the other," he jested humorlessly.

"You should be one to talk! You just threw him to the ground and tied him up like he was some deranged animal," she scolded. Irvine tried to play off her calling him out on something she didn't have a right to by turning back to Zell.

"Hey, did you keep count of the amount of times I asked Squall what was wrong, or told him to calm down? I was working so hard to keep him from running out into the battle that I lost track at around thirty, or maybe forty—"

"Stop trying to act so cool about this, Irvine! Even if you've been lucky enough to have been with Griever this whole time, try to show some tact!" Zell interrupted.

The irony in his statement wasn't lost on the sharpshooter. He turned and continued walking.

"Doing the whole 'loner' routine?" mocked Zell. That was the tipping point. Having kept all of his frustrations to himself after being entrusted with Griever's safety, as well as Squall's by association, he turned back slowly and let Zell have just a _taste_ of what had been going through his head.

"You clear about your role in any of this, Dincht?" he asked. Zell couldn't think of a response quick enough before Irvine continued.

"Mine's written in a contract. Says I've gotta look after Griever at all times. Now that he's training Squall, I'll be with him all the time, too. You didn't see our Commander when he came running out to the front gate, and you didn't see the two Knights almost at each other's throats when we were in Cid's office.

"That way that Griever looked at us after he stopped Rinoa, with those eyes that chilled us to the bone? Squall had that intensity _without_ them. He went from zero to a hundred, and there was no way to stop him short of knocking him out.

"I'm grateful you did that. Like Griever said, had that link stayed open he probably would've died. But you only did it because that's what you've always known to do; that's been your role in everything–the brawns. I've been relearning my responsibilities first hand from Griever, from the Knight who once served Ultimecia, of all people. How things might go if this goes wrong—or if it goes well but then something _else_ goes wrong—I know all of the variables that might destroy us, and I'm tasked with keeping the guy meant to ensure that doesn't happen safe."

He pulled Exeter from his jacket, and Zell and Ellone stepped back, unsure what he was going to do.

"…I'm tasked with all of that, but I'm powerless to stop any of it. That's what I've really learned from all of this; we're not in control. It's up to them: Squall, and Rinoa. Even Griever can only do so much." He turned to Ellone.

"So be grateful that Zell knocked Squall out. We had a tiny window of opportunity to influence the situation at hand, and Zell took it." Then he turned to face Zell.

"And before you start throwing stones—or punches, whatever—remember your place in all of this. If you can't think of one, thank Hyne, get the hell off of my back, and let me be." With that, Irvine quickly walked away from them towards the entrance to Balamb.

Zell and Ellone were both left speechless, firmly silenced by their comrade. Not knowing how to speak in spite of their guilt, the two heard the motor of a car from behind them and quickly turned. A brown sedan pulled off to the side of the road, and Cid and Edea jumped out from the driver and passenger seats.

"Hyne! Squall! What happened?!" exclaimed Edea, running to one of the children she'd raised since near-infancy.

"You don't know?" asked Zell.

"We only received a message from Quistis saying to hurry to Balamb, and that Griever was there. When we saw the mess in the main hall, the SeeDs stationed there insisting we come to meet with you all immediately," replied Cid. Edea looked over Ellone, who's uniform had tears in it. She wasn't hurt, but she had clearly been in some type of fight just a bit before.

"Ellone, are you alright? Please, tell me what happened…" The White SeeD Commander swallowed nervously before she proceeded.

"Rinoa and Squall…something happened between them, and Rinoa's powers spun out of control. Only this time, she was…it was like she was possessed." A scant thought of Ultimecia ran through the former Sorceress' mind, and Zell chimed in to calm her.

"Uh, not that kind of possessed, Matron. Just, like, really, really different."

"Different how?" interjected Cid.

"Like…like a Sorceress. Like how we think of them, at least."

"I didn't feel like I was talking to Rinoa, let alone fighting her," Ellone added to Zell's answer.

Edea and Cid turned to face the other, looking for how to respond in the other's expression. Edea found her words first.

"Did Griever neutralize her abilities?" she asked them. Zell and Ellone were both surprised by her question. Cid's expression looked for them to answer; it was clear they actually had an idea of how things had played out.

"Yes. His eyes changed colors, and those markings that Ultimecia had all over her appeared on him," replied Ellone. Cid breathed a sigh of relief, but Edea hurried to the back door and opened it.

"Get in. We need to hurry. Squall's like this because Rinoa was drawing upon his power somehow, right?" Edea asked anxiously.

"Honey…" Cid trailed off. Both warriors looked at their Matron in shock. How much were the two of them keeping from the group? Zell reeled at the thought of what Irvine had been saying all along, that Cid and their Matron were hiding something from them, and the guilt he felt for yelling at him earlier increased tenfold.

"Well, yes, but—" Ellone began to say, until Cid interrupted her, gesturing toward Squall.

"So they're both like this, then?" Neither of them knew how to respond at this point, and Edea hurried them into the backseat. Zell gently placed Squall in the middle, where he lazily slid over onto his shoulder.

"Guess he was pretty comfortable up there," Zell said lightly. Ellone got in the other side and closed the door.

Cid went to put the car into drive, when Edea stilled his hand and looked back at her children.

"Seatbelts."

Zell and Ellone both emitted sluggish sighs as they buckled themselves, and then Squall, in. Cid couldn't help but chuckle at Edea's role of their mother remaining as strong as ever, let alone their acting like they had at the orphanage.

"Irvine's up ahead, we should pick him up if he hasn't already made it to Balamb," she advised. The Headmaster nodded to the rear view mirror, and they quickly pulled up alongside the lone cowboy, who had Exeter slung over his shoulder.

"There's room for one more. Just please put the gun away," jested Cid. Reluctant, Irvine moved towards where Ellone was and slid into the backseat next to her. The three of them laid Squall's limp body out over the three of them, and the car started back up.

Squall's eyes were just barely open, but they were moving. He managed to keep them held on Zell's face, and with what little energy he had left in him, moved his lips in a repetitive motion. The three of them were transfixed on their Commander's attempt to communicate with them, especially in his condition.

"Is he trying to say something?" asked Zell.

"Squall, save your strength. We're almost there," cautioned Ellone. Irvine leaned over and caught a glimpse of his friend. He squinted and then gave a small smile before patting Zell on the shoulder.

"Well, that's one less thing that sucks about tonight," he jested. Zell and Ellone looked at him expectantly, and he obliged them.

"He's saying 'thank you' over and over."

The martial artist's face lit up and he turned back to his friend, who'd since stopped trying to move his lips.

"Is that true, Squall?!"

The Commander let out a fatigued sigh, and then closed his eyes as his head fell back against the car door.

"Hey Squall, close your eyes if you mean it," joked Irvine. Squall sighed again, and the right corner of his mouth turned just slightly up. Zell and Ellone were both overjoyed, and both raised their hands to their face—Zell pulling back on his hair, while Ellone covered her mouth to hide her smile. Irvine chuckled and leaned on the armrest of the car door.

"I'm _so_ cool," he jested sarcastically. Zell rolled his eyes and reached across the backseat to lightly shove his friend.

"Ok, I'm sorry. Not like you didn't know that after you tore into us," said Zell. Irvine turned to his side and went to shove Zell back, until they caught a stern glare from Edea in the corner of their eyes. Both men—acting far more like boys—rested their hands on their laps, and Ellone couldn't help but shake her head, albeit with an amused grin.

The truth was that Irvine didn't need an apology, not after what had just happened. Really, he wished he never had a reason to have said any of it.

 _Part of me wishes I would just wake up…_

* * *

When the car pulled into the harbor, the six of them were escorted aboard the White SeeD ship, and Zell carried Squall to the infirmary. Quistis, Selphie, and Griever had sat in silence for about twenty minutes, until Rinoa began frantically trying to sit up.

"What's going on? Rin, what's wrong?" Selphie asked anxiously. Griever stirred and sat up to look out at the deck.

"They're here." He stood up, and Zell shirked back at his appearance. The Knight waved it off, and gestured to another cot in the infirmary.

"Put them next to each other," he ordered. Zell didn't question him, and slid Squall's cot over next to Rinoa's. While neither of them could fully sit up, they turned their heads to look at the other. Both of their eyes showed the others' reflection; their worry for the other building with every passing second. When the rest of the group filed in, Edea gasped when she set her eyes on Rinoa.

"So, it happened?" she asked Griever. He nodded back to her, and then bent down to lift his sword with both hands. Holding it flat out in front of him, he walked over slowly and placed it down across their stomachs. It easily stretched across the couple's thin frames, and when he spread his hands over it, its luminescent glow began to fade.

Most of the light seeped back into Rinoa, quicker than the little that did into Squall. She arched her back on the cot, her body quickly regaining strength; she was eager to move.

"Easy. Let it finish," advised Griever. She looked at the Knight; his eyes still gold and his face still covered in Ultimecia's branding. When she leaned back down, she turned back to face Squall, whose skin color seemed to be returning to normal. When the last bit of light vanished into Rinoa's body, Griever pulled back his sword and sheathed it. His eyes returned to the murky gray they had been before, and the markings he bore on his coat disappeared from his face and neck. Whatever transformation he'd undergone to perform his technique had been reversed, and the man's appearance no longer bore any resemblance to the woman he'd once loved—and helped them all defeat.

Both the Sorceress and her Knight lay still on their beds. There was an occasional twitch from one every so often, but other than that, there were no clear signs they had recovered apart from their complexions returning to normal.

"What's wrong? Why aren't they waking up?" asked Selphie, rushing over to Rinoa's bedside to check her pulse.

"Their bodies are adjusting to the influx of power they just awakened. It may be a few hours before they come to," replied Griever. The little warrior slumped back in the chair behind her and frowned.

"She still got a pulse, right Sefie?" asked Irvine. She nodded, but that didn't cheer her up any further. Griever stepped forward and offered his hand to the petite brunette, which she accepted without giving it a second thought. As he guided her towards Irvine and the others, he went to grab the curtain in front of Squall and Rinoa's beds.

"Let them rest." He pulled the curtains shut, and the group stood in silence, not knowing what would become of their friends when they finally woke up.

"Griever, a word?" asked Edea. The Knight turned to the former Sorceress, nodded, and made his way towards the door.

"Irvine, keep an eye on things," he asked of his bodyguard. The sharpshooter nodded, and Griever, Edea, and Cid stepped out onto the deck.

* * *

It had been about an hour since their friends had been "restored," as Griever put it. Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Ellone, sat in separate chairs around the curtain in total silence, unsure what to say, who to say it to, or even about. Selphie had dozed off on Irvine's shoulder, occasionally making an unconscious grab for the cup of coffee he had in his hand. He'd learned to carefully maneuver his mug for when she would do this, and the sight of a sleeping Selphie—mouth open and snoring loudly—reaching for coffee on instinct, was the only thing in the room alleviating the tension.

At least Irvine was smiling, and occasionally he saw Ellone chuckle quietly to herself. Zell was fighting to keep his eyes open—a battle he was losing, since he'd refused Irvine's offer to make him a cup earlier. Quistis, however, was wide-awake. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she stared intently at the curtains, though far more was on her mind than just Squall and Rinoa. The scene was a poor recreation of the dinner they'd had at Zell's house just a few days earlier, except this time, no one was hiding anything from the other. Everyone was wearing their fears on their sleeves, but Quistis' seemed to be turning into frustration.

"You okay, Quisty?" asked Irvine. She crossed one leg over the other and righted her posture in her chair.

"I'm fine," she replied shortly.

 _I'll uh…take your word for it_.

"That was some fighting back there, Ellone. Kiros and the White SeeDs taught you well," he said to the White SeeD Commander.

She nodded with a small smile, and let out a tired sigh.

"She was the last person I expected to ever use it against, though," she replied quietly.

"Well, it wasn't really _her_ , right?" Zell interjected, trying to keep from sliding farther down in his chair.

No one had an answer for that. They all had their own theories, but not enough proof or evidence to back it up.

"I don't know…I mean, if it was possession, than, no, right?" asked Irvine.

"It wasn't possession," Quistis stated. Ellone turned to her side to face the brooding Head Instructor.

"Do you know something, Quisty?" she asked.

Quistis continued to stare at the curtains, deep in thought.

"Probably as much as any of us," commented Irvine.

"That depends," the blue mage replied, quickly turning her gaze on Irvine.

 _Great. Guess this is Karma for snapping at dinner a few days ago..._

 _Well, lemme have it, Trepe..._

"You know Griever more than any of us, Irvine. What has he told you?"

She already knew that she and Ellone had much to discuss regarding their guest, but Irvine was an untapped resource. Whatever she could divulge from him might make the more pressing conversation between her and Ellone go smoother.

Irvine chose his words carefully.

"Regarding what? He's told me a lot of things."

"Regarding _this_ ," she pressed, tilting her head towards the curtain. Irvine shrugged and answered honestly.

"On _our friends_ , nothing more than anyone else. He's here to help them, he needs our full cooperation, etc, etc, etc." Ok, he was answering _somewhat_ honestly. Telling Quistis that Griever had instructed Irvine to be prepared to fight Squall at any moment, or that both Knights had misinterpreted his cocking Exeter upon their meeting as a showing of loyalty to both of them would only stoke the fire. Irvine also wasn't particularly impressed with Quistis' regarding Squall and Rinoa's episode tonight as _this_. She made it sound like their troubles were just another incident to be reported and filed away in Garden's filing cabinets. Foresight kicked in, however, and he held off on his judgment. Quistis had no malintent—just the opposite—but she had her own way of approaching matters, which was completely different than the others.

"What about you, Ellone?" she asked, turning her attention to their newly battle-savvy friend. Ellone proceeded to answer carefully, looking to resume their conversation from earlier at a later time.

"About the same as Irvine. Probably less, since my time with him outside of Centra and Dollet has mostly been spent filling out the necessary paperwork to wrap up our contract with Balamb," she replied.

Quistis nodded, then fell silent.

"You can't just go around the circle like that and then not offer anything yourself, Quistis," Irvine said irritably. She brushed a lock of her golden hair out of her face before readjusting herself in her chair.

"Hey, no one asked me anything," interjected Zell.

Irvine rolled his eyes at the martial artist's vies for attention.

 _Damn it, Zell. I was in the middle of something…_

"What do you know, Zell?" asked Ellone curiously. The blonde scratched the back of his neck nervously before answering. Irvine could tell his friend felt more uncomfortable answering Ellone than he did Quistis. He was suddenly more curious about _that_ rather than whatever Zell had to offer to the conversation.

"I just know the name of what he did to Rinoa earlier. The technique, I mean."

"Is it sorcery?" Quistis asked quickly. Zell shrugged, much to Quistis' dismay.

"He didn't tell me if it was or not, he just said he calls it 'The Grand Draw'. Kind of a lame name if you ask me, but I didn't expect it to be so…you know, the marks, his eyes. I didn't expect it to be so…so…" Zell took a moment to think of just how he wanted to describe it, before a light bulb went off in his head.

"Hyne-damn scary! The dude looked like a Sorceress! Er…Sorcerer."

Quistis shifted uncomfortably in her seat once more, and now, Irvine decided, was _her_ time to talk.

"Well, Instructor? What's your theory?" he asked sardonically. Quistis knew his question was coming, and in the same way it had during their last conversation regarding their friends, no less.

"Griever mentioned something about Rinoa's powers being a separate entity from herself. We thought that when Sorceresses die, they transfer their powers to the nearest suitable host. Apparently, that's not the case. The powers _themselves_ leave the body; it, or they, are desperate to survive regardless of who they're a part of. That, along with some things Rinoa said while we were fighting her, made me think that her abilities are slowly becoming a part of her, with survival as the only thing it's concerned with. If they are indeed melding as she, and to some extent, Griever, suggested, then that'll be Rinoa's primary concern soon enough."

Surprised that she'd actually given a straightforward answer, Irvine processed her words carefully, trying to determine what to make of them. Ellone seemed to be ahead of him.

"Before I tackled her to the ground, I heard her say something…odd."

"Just _something_? You mean everything else sounded normal to you?" balked Zell. Ellone waved off the martial artist's words and returned her attention to Quistis.

"'Hyne's Will'. She described her powers, or maybe she was describing her existence, I'm not sure. But, that term—I've never heard it before. This is the first time, outside of legend or fairy tale, that someone's actually linked a Sorceress' power to The Great Hyne." Irvine's train of thought was completely derailed by that. Griever had used the term, too, but hadn't explained what it meant when he'd asked.

"She referred to Griever as 'Hyne's Charge' as well," added Quistis. "She said he was the ideal Knight. The only mention of a Knight in Sorceress lore is of Zefer, and there's barely any documentation indicating that he and his Sorceress, who isn't even named, were real."

"Not to mention the two of them stood up for a country's independence after the war was over…" Both Ellone and Quistis fell silent once they realized what had preceded the first documented appearance of a Sorceress and her Knight.

"The war over Hyne's lower half—the power that was transmuted and created the first Sorceress…" spoke Quistis, her voice hushed in the wake of their epiphany.

Irvine looked over at Zell, who seemed just as stunned as they were. Seeing he'd be going at this alone, the sharpshooter ventured forward with _his_ take on things.

"Doesn't it seem a little odd that we _never_ heard about any of this during the war? Maybe we're reading a little far into all of this?" he suggested.

"You might not have read some of the occult magazines we picked up along the way, but I did," retorted Quistis.

"The Occult magazines? Quisty, those are tabloids at best."

"Then explain the article about Doomtrain, or the ghost we encountered at Obel's Lake." Irvine shook his head irritated, and sat back forcefully in his chair. Selphie had yet to stir.

"I can't, but…"

"But, nothing. Rinoa said it herself, Irvine. Did Griever mention anything about Hyne during the battle?" Quistis pressed further. Irvine sighed as he answered with what would only fuel what he thought was a needless fire.

"He did, but—"

"What did he say?!" interrupted Ellone. Zell sat up in his chair as well, also eager for an answer. The sharpshooter's thoughts that this was a needless discussion, and the frustration that he felt over Quistis' scrutinizing questions grew exponentially.

"He just said 'Hyne's Will' doesn't trust anyone, and it wouldn't go down without a fight. He didn't elaborate past that—he was being so damn cryptic that—" Irvine drew pause as the realization his two friends had come to now hit him full force.

"…We need answers from the man himself, I guess," he said quietly, his tone bordering on stunned.

Quistis was the first to get out of her seat, and she looked at Zell and Ellone expectantly. When they didn't get up, she scoffed.

"Did you not hear the man? They're just outside, we need to find out what's going on!"

Ellone and Zell looked at each other, nodded, then turned back to Quistis.

"I don't wanna leave them here by themselves," said Zell.

"Zell, now's not the time to—"

"Quisty, calm down. There's more to this than what Matron, Cid, and Griever may be keeping from us," added Ellone.

Quistis rubbed her forehead to mask her frustration.

 _Sis, you're practically bating me to push you more on what_ we _have to finish discussing._

She turned and looked at the curtain that stood between them and their two friends, and clenched her jaw in frustration.

"I'll go with you, Quistis. I want answers too. We're a team; we need to be in more than one place at once, right?" offered Irvine. Relieved that she and Irvine were on the same page for once, not to mention both game to confront their superiors, she accepted his rationale and her friends' reasons for wanting to stay.

"Just one sec…" Irvine took hold of Selphie by her shoulders and laid her down across their chairs. He tiptoed away, making sure she wouldn't stir. When he gestured to Quistis for them to head to the door though, the little warrior mumbled something indistinguishable to the others.

"What was that?" asked Zell, confused as to what gibberish had just come out of her mouth. Irvine gave a soft smile, and took off his hat. He placed it on Selphie's head, and she cooed and turned on her side.

"…Mmmm, thank you," she muttered. The group laughed quietly so as not to disturb her, and then Irvine turned back to the Head Instructor, who was waiting for him by the door.

"Oh, here's some Griever 101 for ya. If his eyes start to flicker, or something, fall back from pressing him on anything."

"What? Irvine, that sounds really—"

The sharpshooter shook his head with a soft smile.

"Yeah, it's complicated. I don't know really know what it is, either, but we need to play this right to get what we want."

Quistis nodded in agreement begrudgingly.

 _Ever the smooth operator, I see._

Irvine gestured towards the door.

"After you, Instructor."

As the two walked out, Zell turned to Ellone, who looked noticeably uncomfortable.

"Hey, didn't you say his eyes did that when you...you know, heard The Monster?" he asked her. She nodded slowly, her eyes filled with worry.

"I want to hear what Griever and Matron tell them first. If any of it lines up with what I've been piecing together, then there's more to all of this than even he's aware of," she replied. Zell sighed and sat back in his chair, wanting to comfort Ellone, but not sure how.

"At least we'll be prepared, right?" he tried to offer. Ellone shrugged, continuing to face the floor.

"We'll see…"

* * *

The rising sun ushered in the first phase of morning. Traces of dark blue were visible behind the orange and red clouds that cleared to unveil the beautiful day forecasted. It was better than nothing; no earthly act could lift the tension on the deck of the White SeeD ship. The former Sorceress and Ultimecia's Knight discussed in detail the events that had taken place just a few hours before; it wasn't wrong to think the heavens had seen everything, and decided to ease their transition into the wake of Rinoa and Squall's episode.

"I can't say for sure what set it off. Squall was manic the entire time, though. Had Rinoa been stronger, and the battle had turned in her favor, I don't think he'd care for the aftermath; all that would've mattered to him was that she was safe," stated Griever.

Edea shook her head and leaned back against the railing.

"So, their bond not only developed, but he's starting to carry out Hyne's Charge…" she proposed.

"It would seem so," he replied. Edea turned to her husband, who sat patiently at a table nearby listening, his support readily available for his wife.

"I didn't see this coming for the little boy from Winhill," she said to Cid.

"Not until he visited us after Ultimecia's defeat. Even then, we couldn't have foreseen _this_ ," the Headmaster added.

Griever turned his attention to Cid.

"About that, I'm only vaguely aware of what took place that day. He briefly visited the past and told you you'd found SeeD?" he asked. The Kramers nodded.

"Interesting. Normally, when events such as that occur during time travel, new timelines are created to adhere to what will come. It seems as though his speaking with you is more cyclical in nature; it _had_ to happen."

"It's like when you gave Raine your ring. I know you don't remember much of what happened before then, but you had said Ultimecia's initial meddling created the timeline we live in now, didn't you?" Edea asked. The Knight nodded, and crossed his arms over his chest to ponder over potential hypotheses.

"I suppose it's the impact of the event that determines whether a whole new timeline needs to be created to cater to the change. I remember that not much was different as I caught glimpses of their journey while he wore the ring; he was just stronger."

"What about yours and Hesiod's presence? Is your being here now going to have the same effect as Ultimecia's possession of Edea?" asked Cid. Griever shrugged, but didn't seem to think so.

"We haven't actively changed the progression of Rinoa's development, nor Squall's. I plan to help the two of them hone their powers, but the rate at which they'll grow is out of mine, and Hesiod's hands."

Edea let out a small breath of relief at the sound of that.

"So, there's _something_ we can be certain of," she remarked.

"For now," added Griever. The former Sorceress turned to the Knight, and he shrugged.

"Can't predict the future, right?" he replied. She nodded, and sighed again.

"Hyne, Rinoa always says that. What's to become of her spirit after this?" she wondered.

The door leading to the deck opened, and the three of them looked to see Quistis and Irvine step out and close the door behind them.

"Mornin'," greeted Irvine, waving to the three of them. Griever looked over at Quistis and saw she was immediately staring him down, ready to continue their conversation from earlier.

"Is now a good time to ask questions?" she inquired facetiously. The Knight couldn't help but respect her moxie, and nodded.

"Quistis, show some respect for the man," Edea quietly reprimanded.

"It's ok, Edea. We were having a discussion before. I may've been a little…curt," interjected Griever. He turned to face the Head Instructor, and gestured to her that the floor was hers.

"It's about Hyne," Quistis began. Edea and Cid seized up at the name, but Griever remained calm.

"The titles Rinoa referred to herself, and you, as—Hyne's Will and Hyne's Charge—what are they?"

Griever wasted no time in answering her questions.

"Hyne's Charge is to protect His magic so that it may be used to fulfill Hyne's Will. Both of those things are entrusted to two separate parties, as He can't do either Himself.

"Hyne's Will is another term used for Hyne's Descendant. It refers more to the Sorceress' power, and her intent, rather than the Sorceress herself. It is what's entrusted to the one who can utilize His power.

"As far as Hyne's Charge goes, that term is used to describe the ideal Knight. The one who lays everything on the line, and will do anything and everything to protect the Sorceress."

Irvine stood next to Quistis and looked Griever up and down before speaking.

"So, you, essentially. You're the ideal Knight."

Griever nodded.

"The one and only."

Quistis still wasn't satisfied, and pressed further.

"Neither term has ever come up in Sorceress lore in this time. Is that a mythos specific to your time?" she asked. Griever shrugged.

"I don't know."

Quistis' lips thinned, but she kept on.

"Is Hyne real?" she asked.

"Quistis!" scolded Edea. Her outburst took both of her former foster children aback, but still, Griever remained unfazed.

"I don't know," he repeated.

Quistis' patience had reached its limit.

"How can you not know?! If you're the ideal Knight—Hyne's Charge— then that makes Ultimecia the one who carried out Hyne's Will, doesn't it?!"

"I suppose," he replied.

The Head Instructor threw her hands up in the air in frustration and turned back against the door. She rested her hands on her hips to keep from any further outbursts, and collected herself.

"Is that your amnesia talking?" asked Irvine.

"What's with all these damn questions? Couldn't you tell they were in the middle of an important discussion before you came out here?!" interrupted Cid. Irvine was impartial to anything Cid had to offer—reasonable or not. Despite having been a former Knight himself, he'd done little to nothing for his Sorceress the way Griever had, or how Squall was willing to. He didn't measure up, appearing more and more out of place than anything else.

"It's ok, Cid, I'm not their superior. My experience and power buys me little higher ground to stand on." The Knight walked towards Quistis, who quickly turned back around when she noticed his shadow looming over her.

"Easy. I didn't heal your bruises so I could ambush you later," he offered as a means to quell her aggravation. She didn't stand at ease, but she was listening, and that's all he needed her to do.

"I only know those things because Ultimecia explained them to me. Whether it was mythos in my time, or she was just spewing them from her warped mind, I can't say. What I _can_ say is that Ultimecia's consciousness is a part of Rinoa's power. It carries remnants of Sorceresses past with it, and they mold the entity with each new host, changing the next woman to inherit it even further.

"To play into the mythos, each Sorceress is meant to carry out Hyne's Will. One way or another, each has fallen, transferring their powers across generations. In Rinoa's case, it's quite literal, and she is imbued with the knowledge and power of thousands of Sorceresses from my timeline _and_ this one. For her to use those terms could just be a fanatical belief that the entity developed overtime to justify its protecting itself so violently.

"Remember, Sorceresses faced much harsher persecution in my time than this one. She carries fragments of those memories with her, as well as the power those memories spawned. _That_ is the thing we need to be concerned with right now, not clarification over outdated lore from a timeline that no longer exists."

Quistis begrudgingly accepted his explanation. She'd research the mythos on her own time; Rinoa and Squall's safety was their priority. Still, there was one last question she had for the Knight.

"I understand but…what _is_ Hyne's Will?"

Griever was finally shaken from his calm disposition. Though it wasn't terribly noticeable, he frowned ever so slightly, and reluctantly gave an answer.

"You know the legend of Hyne, don't you?" he asked. The two warriors nodded, and Griever looked at the two of them expectantly.

"Do you remember what the people _stopped_ Him from doing?" The gravity of Griever's point hit Quistis and Irvine at the same time. Hyne's Will, if such a thing existed, had been the crux of every notorious Sorceress they'd ever read about, including the two they'd fought and killed.

"Humanity…Hyne wished to destroy all of mankind," uttered Quistis, shocked by the revelation.

Griever nodded, but was quick to pull the two of them out of their shock.

"It's a legend. There's doubt that there are parallels between what most Sorceresses have tried to do, and what the legend of Hyne tells. But, again, for a human with that kind of power to rationalize their retaliation against their persecutors, something as grand as Hyne is the most logical choice."

"So you're saying it might just be a rationale. Nothing we should concern ourselves with?" asked Irvine. The Knight nodded, and Edea stepped forward to change the topic.

"How're they doing?" she asked about Rinoa and Squall. Quistis came out of her deep thought and answered her Matron.

"Still resting," she replied.

"Good. They need it. They've both been through so much in the past few hours alone."

Edea seemed relieved at the news, but Quistis took issue with her not asking how the rest of them were doing.

"We're fine too, by the way," she spat. Irvine cautiously took a step back from where Quistis stood. He didn't disagree with his friend's discontent, but challenging Matron, even as little as he had when he was first assigned the Centra mission, always scared him.

Quistis, on the other hand, wasn't afraid.

"I didn't mean to overlook your safety, if that's what you're implying, Quistis," Edea replied, holding back a more scornful rebuttal. The Head Instructor kept her gaze fixated on her Matron a little longer. Her respect for her hadn't wavered, but Quistis hadn't forgotten the events that preceded the battle of the Gardens. Her suspicions that the Kramers may've had less control over this than they let on, or that they were hiding something from them, were ever-present.

"Griever," she began, turning back towards the Knight. "I'm sorry you can't remember your past. But just because you can't remember it, doesn't mean it still won't come back to bite you, along with the rest of us. If you've got a backbone under that trench coat of yours, you'll make sure to protect us, won't you?"

"Quistis Trepe, I—"

"I will." Edea stood with her mouth open, her temper cut short by Griever's compliance. Her guard still high, Quistis nodded in thanks nonetheless.

"What's our next move, then?" asked Irvine.

Griever looked over his shoulder, out over the town of Balamb. The rippling waves on the beach shimmered in the morning sun's glow. Even the ruined harbor gave him some comfort upon seeing the waters seemingly caress the debris and destroyed foundation that still stood.

"We need to make arrangements to proceed as carefully as possible from here on out. Obviously, with what's happened, my training with Squall will begin later than I'd hoped. It's best to keep them separate for the time being—at least until I can sense whether he's of sound mind again. We'll take him back to Garden and put him in the infirmary there. Edea, do you mind staying here with Rinoa? I was planning on asking Ellone to stay as well; you'll be safe."

Edea nodded understandingly, and Griever turned to address Quistis and Cid.

"What about you two?" he asked.

"Garden is my responsibility first and foremost. I need to brief Xu and Nida on how to put down any suspicions as to what happened last night. Leave that to me," replied Cid.

"I'll return to Garden as well. I still work with Dr. Kadowaki from time to time in the infirmary. I can monitor Squall until he wakes up," added Quistis.

The Knight nodded, and moved to open the door. Inside, he saw Selphie sleeping on her side across two chairs, with Irvine's hat placed firmly on her head, and Zell and Ellone had dozed off as well. The five of them walked inside, and Edea went over to the curtains and peeked inside.

"They look peaceful. Thank goodness."

Griever turned to Cid, motioning towards his side pocket.

"Since you drove, bring Quistis and Squall back with you. Edea, it looks like you'll have more than enough protection should anything go wrong."

"What about us, big guy? What's on our itinerary?" asked his bodyguard. Slightly embarrassed by the question, Griever replied while scratching the back of his neck.

"I…don't really like the idea of getting into a car. You go a few hundred years without a single one and the idea of being confined to such a cramped space is…you get it; we're walking back."

The sharpshooter wasn't necessarily looking forward to hoofing it back to Garden, but his contract never held more weight until now. He pulled the curtain open to where Squall and Rinoa laid resting, and took note of their appearance.

"Were they holding hands, before?" he asked. The others leaned in to see for themselves. Griever backed away once he saw their hands entwined, and tapped Edea on the shoulder to get her attention.

"We should wait. They can't move or speak, so they've reopened the link," he said. She nodded, and looked back at the young Sorceress and her Knight.

"Anything to be with each other."

* * *

Floating in a great empty space, formless in an infinite void, Squall looked out with the eyes he was missing to try and search for Rinoa.

" _Squall?"_

It was her.

" _Rinoa?! Where are you? I can't see anything!"_

" _I'm right next to you,"_ she replied. He felt a smaller hand give his a tight squeeze. Her touch was one-of-a-kind; she was with him in the darkness he'd surely thought he was lost in.

" _I feel you, but I can't see you. What is this?"_ he asked.

" _I don't know, but wherever we are, it belongs to us."_

" _What?"_

He sensed Rinoa move from his side to right in front of him. She took hold of the collar on his jacket, or at least it felt like she did. He didn't have a body for the jacket to sit upon. What was this?

" _I think this place is ours. This is where our bond takes us when we want to hide away from the world,"_ she replied. Squall didn't need any elaboration. He believed her, because a part of him knew as well that this strange darkness was theirs. He pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her so that his hands crisscrossed behind her back and onto her shoulders. She sunk into his chest, pressing herself into him as hard as he was pulling her.

In an already empty space in time, the two lovers contributed nothing to the void. Instead, they silently focused all of their attention onto each other, inspecting every part of the other with their minds. They weren't two people who'd just put their friends lives in jeopardy with two seemingly psychotic episodes. They were a couple that had just survived an ordeal that was brought about by forces beyond their control. For Squall, their friends' safety was a distant thought when Rinoa might be in danger.

Rinoa however, carefully replayed the events leading up to her "possession" in her head. The confusion brought about by the development of their bond, the argument that ensued, the fear, and more importantly, the hostility she harbored when Squall told her of his conversation with Zell. What he thought was to come, and the path he'd chosen in light of those thoughts, wasn't the one she wanted. He didn't want it either, but other than her, Squall knew next to nothing about pursuing what he wanted; he only knew what was _necessary_. If Griever hadn't stopped Rinoa, Squall would've followed her after she'd splayed their friends out before them.

She remembered being trapped inside a space not unlike this one by her powers, and listening in as the voices of Sorceresses past manipulated Squall into resisting Irvine and Zell's insistence that he fall back, that they'd save her. Not only did he refuse, he didn't believe them. Neither did the entity within her. The entity? No, what was once a separate being was now a part of her. There was no more wondering whether it was her or _it_ that was talking; they were one.

Rinoa pulled on the back of Squall's jacket, and he held her all the tighter.

" _Squall…"_ she began.

" _I'm here…"_ he replied.

Was he? This was not the boy she'd met a year ago, but it also wasn't the man he'd become during their time together after the war. This man was a servant, not a partner. He was a soldier protecting his leader, a barrier between her and those who threatened her safety.

A Knight serving his Queen…

The man she loved was still there, but he was troubled, and very scared. If she wanted to hold his hand, she'd have to sift through the endless battles he'd fight in order to find him. And when she would find him, he'd hold her hand only to make her happy, not because it would make _him_ happy. His feelings, his spirit, his happiness, they were all null and void if any of hers were even the least bit inhibited.

His devotion scared her; his young lover's passion had turned fanatic and unstable. But the last thing she wanted to do was push him away, _especially_ after realizing this.

" _We can come back here whenever we want. I think we may've created this place after…or during what happened,"_ she said.

" _Can we stay?"_ he asked. Still nestled into his chest, she shook her head as much as their close proximity would allow.

" _We have to go back, Squall…"_

He didn't respond right away. Instead, he ran his fingers through her hair, and rubbed his cheek up against hers.

" _Squall?"_

" _I can't see you. Just making sure you're still here."_ The sentiment was sweet, but he was dodging the task at hand; that was another trait that the man she loved would _never_ display.

" _I'm here, Squall. I'll be always be here."_

" _Then, why can't we stay?"_

Rinoa slowly pulled back from his embrace. Though she couldn't see him, she knew that his confident, calculating demeanor was shattered. Only a foot away from the other, he still feared she might never return to his arms. How could she convince him otherwise?

" _We can always come back here. But, we need to deal with what's happening on the outside. It's been hours, and so much has changed with our friends; we need to be there to support them."_

"Support _them_?" he balked.

Patience was key. The young Sorceress took in a deep breath, and then continued.

" _We won't make it through this alone. We're changing Squall, and it's affecting them as much as it is us. We need to reach out and assure them we're working against the worst as much they are."_

Squall tepidly stepped away from his Sorceress. His footsteps reverberated through the void; it was the first audible sign that they were in another realm entirely. Knowing he wouldn't pull back completely, but fully aware that her window of time to get through to him was slipping, she reached out and took hold of his gloved hand. Her grip was firm on his, and immediately his fingers took in the soft touch of her palm. Her Knight's behavior was unsettling, but it was a result of him being _far_ more unnerved by this than she was.

Griever's brief exchange with Quistis, before Zell and the others brought him to her, came to mind. He'd received a small amount of her powers, and in turn, had inherited the paranoia and need to survive no matter what that she had been battling. It had to be tempered, and for the first time, _she_ had the power to steady _his_ hand.

" _Squall, what else did Zell say to you?"_

" _What?"_ he replied.

" _Yesterday in Balamb. You said there was more to the conversation when we were arguing, but I…well, I didn't let you finish."_ He steadied his breath, and relayed the end of the conversation to her.

" _He said he'd do everything he could to stop us from…changing. Even after the fact, he'd still try, down to the very last moment."_

Overcome with relief, hindsight quickly served to point out that had she heard that earlier, none of this may've happened. She moved forward.

" _So, he'd still be in our corner, even if the worst would happen?"_ she asked for confirmation. Rinoa sensed her Knight slowly nod to confirm, and a smile graced her lips.

" _What about on the way here? Did Zell or any of the others say anything about us?"_ she continued.

" _Ellone kept telling Zell to be careful while carrying me. I guess my head was…bouncing around, or something."_ Rinoa couldn't help but giggle at the visual. Ellone, finally getting to be the older sister to Squall that he'd always wished she could, nagging their friend to be extra careful with her baby brother. She knew Squall smiled after recounting the memory, too.

So far, so good…

" _What about Irvine?"_

Squall's pause would've normally caused her to worry, but she kept calm in spite of her instincts. Irvine had a bigger responsibility regarding their friend's role in this; as casual of a guy as he was, he wouldn't take such matters so lightly, and would speak of them as such.

" _He…he's scared. He's going to be with Griever and I throughout all of our training—not to mention with Griever every waking moment unless told otherwise. I think he knows something that only Griever would entrust someone close to him with._

" _His role in this is different, and he's doing everything he can to keep it together…"_

" _To keep us safe, too, wouldn't you say?"_ added Rinoa. Squall was hesitant to agree. He'd seen Irvine take a shot at Rinoa, claiming to miss on purpose, and then shoot her _again_ , but that time with some sort of tranquilizer. The actions spoke louder than words, but both events had ultimately been, according to him, meant to stop her, not kill her. Still, he was reserved to fully agree with Rinoa.

" _You don't know?"_ she asked.

Squall had been silent longer than he realized.

" _I can't say for sure. I need more_ —"

" _Time. Of course, Squall. Take your time. And, if you get scared again, just come find me. I'll be here."_ The young Knight snapped out of his wary trance upon hearing those words.

"… _Waiting?"_ he prompted. Rinoa nodded, and pulled him back towards her.

" _I'll be here, waiting. If you need me…"_

"… _I'll know where to go."_

The two sealed their promise with a kiss. Upon their lips touching, Squall felt warmth from them he'd only felt moments before the fight outside Garden, and a concentrated burst of energy moved through him, quickly dispersing through the rest of his body.

" _Rinoa…what was—"_

Before he could finish his question, voices began fading in and out of their sacred space. They both turned to the darkness, hoping to see who was talking, or if maybe a light would appear that would finally allow them see.

"…and Squall back with you…"

"…more than enough protection…"

"Were they holding hands before?"

"Anything to be with each other."

Griever, Irvine, and Edea's voices had penetrated their solitude.

" _Squall, I think we're going to be separated for a bit."_ The Commander's heart began racing, and Rinoa quickly squeezed his hand to calm him.

" _But, they're going to protect us. They're going to make sure we're ok before we can be together again. It's what's necessary. We can't have a repeat of this night, right?"_

Squall wanted nothing more than to object, to find a reason why separating them was a bad idea, or that it was somehow illogical; he needed to put his tactician skills to work, and fast. Before the wheels in brain could start churning though, Rinoa's tender, loving brown eyes came into view.

Just her eyes.

From the way the corners pointed up, he could see she was smiling at him. She knew this was for the best, and after holding off on his objecting, he agreed.

" _I hope you know this is the right thing to do, and not just agreeing because it's what I want. You do know this is right, don't you, Squall?"_

His silence was answer enough, and Rinoa nodded understandingly.

" _Ok, that's alright. If not now, then soon."_

The two were suddenly pulled apart from each other. They hastily reached out to grab the other's hand, but forces outside of their control were moving them. Rinoa was the first to pick up on it, and jumped at the chance to calm her Knight.

" _They're taking you away now, Squall. But it'll only be for a short time."_

He swallowed anxiously before replying.

"… _Are you sure?"_

" _I'm sure."_ Her confidence empowered him, and as he accepted what he couldn't change, he felt someone put their arms under his body and lift him up off of his cot. Still in the void, he felt his body move through the infirmary and out onto the deck. Physically, they were apart now, but they still shared the space they'd made together. Although steeped in darkness now, someday soon, he hoped—no, he knew—that together, they would bring light to it.

" _Oh, and Squall?"_

The Knight's ears perked up like an attentive puppy, awaiting his master's command. Instead, what followed were the words that he'd been hoping to hear, and that she'd wanted to say back to him all night.

" _I love you, too."  
_

* * *

 __

So, it's been...over 6 months. Great, glad to have dropped the ball on that one, lol. You already know what I'm going to say, real life got in the way blah blah

blah. I've seen your reviews since my last update and fully intend to reply to each of you. Thank you so much for continuing to read my little story, and

participate in our little community that revolves around this incredible game. I'll tell them myself later, but big shout out to LaylaEvercrest for updating their

story "Into Thin Air," after such a long time. I saw the e-mail update, and after some reservations about possibly updating soon, I gained some courage and

uploaded this bad boy.

Here's the resolution to all of the madness from the last chapter—Enjoy!


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